I'm first labeling this as a Strike Witches x Izetta crossover fic, but it'll later change to...
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Magical Girl Convergence
- Thread starter WiseMan744436
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I'm first labeling this as a Strike Witches x Izetta crossover fic, but it'll later change to something else. The series has a complete list, but this is the most unorthodox of my current plotlines, not only for including two series with "cute witches" rather than magical girls, but also adding a straight out mecha series as well.
The list is as follows, excluding the original storyline:
The list is as follows, excluding the original storyline:
- Izetta the Last Witch
- Strike Witches
- Strike Witches 2
- Strike Witches: The Movie
- Buddy Complex
- Buddy Complex: Into the Skies of Tomorrow
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
- Sailor Moon
- Sailor Moon R (Black Moon Arc)
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable
- Puella Magi Oriko Magica
- Daybreak Illusion - il sole penetra le illusioni
- Yuki Yuna is a Hero
- Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Hero Chapter
- Vividred Operation
- And finally, my own magical girl series, Universal Lady Justice Aya. This fic would cover the last two parts, which are unpublished yet the beef of the whole series.
---
EDIT: In this thread, I'll also introduce special quotes were this to be an actual Super Robot Wars-like game. Each character will have his or her own separate post for people to follow. People can also propose and suggest special quotes for each character wherever this story is posted.
The characters' special quotes will be categorized by series as shown below. The list update every time a new character is added.
Izetta the Last Witch
Captain Bassler
Strike Witches
Gertrude Barkhorn
---
A pair of large wide eyes stared in the face of a bright light. Although it didn't exactly suck him in, the waves and ripples that circled around formed a tunnel that attracted him. It was far more than his size, yet only he was tasked to go through it.
For him, he first thought of himself as just a Murlock, an insignificant creature whose only purpose was livestock to humans and worshippers of humans as gods. He was far shorter than a human, being only a quarter of a meter tall. He had black fur on most of his body, which was shaped more like a rabbit, except for his white belly and hands. The only few things he could relate himself to humans was walking on his two feet, his tiny bare hands, his ability to understand and speak the human language, and to think like them.
And yet, one of these human beings looked to him as no different, to whom he turned back. In the cold, dark metal room was an adult woman with short black hair that covered her eyes. This was the woman who took him in from the farming grounds. She thought gave him an education, teaching him the human language and knowledge in ancient machines...such knowledge that his kind may or may not have forgotten, knowledge that was forbidden to her kind. Even this was high treason...treason against the Vilag.
"Are you scared," the woman asked him from the darkness.
He remained silent, unsure what to say. From that moment, the woman approached her and held something in her hand. It was a thin, gold necklace with a white crystal pendant. She placed it around his neck as she continued.
"If you are unsure, just remember that the fate of future hands in the balance. As long as you believe, you can have the power to change this future."
Just then, a large metal crash shook the two as they faced the door, now showing light.
"Go now, Tipler," she called out his name. "Find them...and guide them so that this future never happens. For you, the human race, and for everyone else."
By then, she pushed Tipler forward towards the small wormhole. When he was almost a foot away from the device, he turned back to see the woman making her final stand. The door was already blasted open and beasts were crawling into the room. The woman fought back as she fired bolts of flame against the wolf-like monsters. Hunterbeasts, he remembered that they were called; each looking like wolves with sharp claws and fangs, the jumping height of a leopard, hides and bones as strong as steel, and the jaws of a wild boar. These grey-furred monsters came in a pack of six with the primary purpose of hunting down their prey.
Their very existence shook Tipler to the bone, even though the woman already took down one of them with ease. However, she found herself surrounded by them, far more than she can handle. One that passed her already sensed his presence, giving a growl that would intimidate any animal.
Instead, Tipler glared at the beast. Even though the creature was fast, it was still not enough for the Murlock to close the distance. With one quick leap, he launched into the portal before it could get a chance to bite him. He knew he already succeeded in getting away, the moment he found himself accelerating forward.
Cruising through the portal, he faced forward in the hope that he could rewrite the past. For humanity's sake...no, for everything's sake...
---
...
---
The year is 1940, the era of the Second World War.
Years ago, global conflict cast a dark shadow on the world. The war was not created by human powers, but rather an unknown force that waged war on humanity. No one knew exactly where they come from, only that the powers that be identified them as "Neuroi." Across the world, these creatures manifested in the sky to establish their hives. By absorbing the landmasses and nearby machine, they formed weapons that cut through with brutal and deadly efficiency.
Because of the frightening power of this new enemy, humanity was forced to couple together so they could fight back. Their greatest weapon was the Striker Unit, flying leg machines operated by women with the power to operate them. The pilots of these units became known as Witches and were the world's greatest soldiers against the Neuroi. For that, they were honored as heroes.
Even then, not all of humanity was united against this common enemy. In mainland Europe, the almighty Empire of Germania was one of the few nations that did not join the world's fight against the Neuroi. Instead, the Empire took advantage of the devastation in 1939, when they invaded the then powerless nation of Livonia. They then moved westward and absorbed Galia and all of its other nearby neighbors.
The powers of the world denounced the Empire of Germania for neglecting humanity's war against the Neuroi for their own ambitions. Renaming themselves as the Allies, they shifted their agenda to resist their conquests with whatever efforts possible. However, with the two powers' advanced technology, blitzkrieg tactics, and lack of hostility against each other, progress was slow and humanity was fighting a losing war.
Now the Empire continued its conquests by baring its fangs against its southern neighbor, the Duchy of Elystadt. Despite suffering no attacks, the small nation was burdened by fear for it had no real military strength against its enemies.
However, one young girl believes that she can change the fate of her country. And with it, change the fate of humanity.
---
EDIT: Since the main character chosen, the poll is now closed. Her biography will be in the first chapter of the fic.
As another note, As the write the story, I'll also be making some split paths. I'll make new polls asking which route I should follow when we approach them.
EDIT: In this thread, I'll also introduce special quotes were this to be an actual Super Robot Wars-like game. Each character will have his or her own separate post for people to follow. People can also propose and suggest special quotes for each character wherever this story is posted.
The characters' special quotes will be categorized by series as shown below. The list update every time a new character is added.
Izetta the Last Witch
Captain Bassler
Strike Witches
Gertrude Barkhorn
---
A pair of large wide eyes stared in the face of a bright light. Although it didn't exactly suck him in, the waves and ripples that circled around formed a tunnel that attracted him. It was far more than his size, yet only he was tasked to go through it.
For him, he first thought of himself as just a Murlock, an insignificant creature whose only purpose was livestock to humans and worshippers of humans as gods. He was far shorter than a human, being only a quarter of a meter tall. He had black fur on most of his body, which was shaped more like a rabbit, except for his white belly and hands. The only few things he could relate himself to humans was walking on his two feet, his tiny bare hands, his ability to understand and speak the human language, and to think like them.
And yet, one of these human beings looked to him as no different, to whom he turned back. In the cold, dark metal room was an adult woman with short black hair that covered her eyes. This was the woman who took him in from the farming grounds. She thought gave him an education, teaching him the human language and knowledge in ancient machines...such knowledge that his kind may or may not have forgotten, knowledge that was forbidden to her kind. Even this was high treason...treason against the Vilag.
"Are you scared," the woman asked him from the darkness.
He remained silent, unsure what to say. From that moment, the woman approached her and held something in her hand. It was a thin, gold necklace with a white crystal pendant. She placed it around his neck as she continued.
"If you are unsure, just remember that the fate of future hands in the balance. As long as you believe, you can have the power to change this future."
Just then, a large metal crash shook the two as they faced the door, now showing light.
"Go now, Tipler," she called out his name. "Find them...and guide them so that this future never happens. For you, the human race, and for everyone else."
By then, she pushed Tipler forward towards the small wormhole. When he was almost a foot away from the device, he turned back to see the woman making her final stand. The door was already blasted open and beasts were crawling into the room. The woman fought back as she fired bolts of flame against the wolf-like monsters. Hunterbeasts, he remembered that they were called; each looking like wolves with sharp claws and fangs, the jumping height of a leopard, hides and bones as strong as steel, and the jaws of a wild boar. These grey-furred monsters came in a pack of six with the primary purpose of hunting down their prey.
Their very existence shook Tipler to the bone, even though the woman already took down one of them with ease. However, she found herself surrounded by them, far more than she can handle. One that passed her already sensed his presence, giving a growl that would intimidate any animal.
Instead, Tipler glared at the beast. Even though the creature was fast, it was still not enough for the Murlock to close the distance. With one quick leap, he launched into the portal before it could get a chance to bite him. He knew he already succeeded in getting away, the moment he found himself accelerating forward.
Cruising through the portal, he faced forward in the hope that he could rewrite the past. For humanity's sake...no, for everything's sake...
---
...
---
The year is 1940, the era of the Second World War.
Years ago, global conflict cast a dark shadow on the world. The war was not created by human powers, but rather an unknown force that waged war on humanity. No one knew exactly where they come from, only that the powers that be identified them as "Neuroi." Across the world, these creatures manifested in the sky to establish their hives. By absorbing the landmasses and nearby machine, they formed weapons that cut through with brutal and deadly efficiency.
Because of the frightening power of this new enemy, humanity was forced to couple together so they could fight back. Their greatest weapon was the Striker Unit, flying leg machines operated by women with the power to operate them. The pilots of these units became known as Witches and were the world's greatest soldiers against the Neuroi. For that, they were honored as heroes.
Even then, not all of humanity was united against this common enemy. In mainland Europe, the almighty Empire of Germania was one of the few nations that did not join the world's fight against the Neuroi. Instead, the Empire took advantage of the devastation in 1939, when they invaded the then powerless nation of Livonia. They then moved westward and absorbed Galia and all of its other nearby neighbors.
The powers of the world denounced the Empire of Germania for neglecting humanity's war against the Neuroi for their own ambitions. Renaming themselves as the Allies, they shifted their agenda to resist their conquests with whatever efforts possible. However, with the two powers' advanced technology, blitzkrieg tactics, and lack of hostility against each other, progress was slow and humanity was fighting a losing war.
Now the Empire continued its conquests by baring its fangs against its southern neighbor, the Duchy of Elystadt. Despite suffering no attacks, the small nation was burdened by fear for it had no real military strength against its enemies.
However, one young girl believes that she can change the fate of her country. And with it, change the fate of humanity.
---
EDIT: Since the main character chosen, the poll is now closed. Her biography will be in the first chapter of the fic.
As another note, As the write the story, I'll also be making some split paths. I'll make new polls asking which route I should follow when we approach them.
Last edited:
Episode 1
Now for the first Episode. And according to the polls, Alice is the favored protagonist, which is very convenient considering my plans for this fic.
For a quick recap, this is the bio for the chosen character.
Alice Alcubierre
Age: ~16
Birthday: N/A
Nationality: United States of Liberion
Height: 65 inches
Hair color: Blonde, shoulder length
Cup Size: C
Eye color: Silver
Skin/fur/etc colour: White
Preferred style of clothing: Red sleeveless shirt and green shorts.
Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her left ear.
Personality: Adventurous, liberal, hot-blooded, mischievous
Likes: Exploration
Dislikes: Timeouts
Favorite color: Red
STORY
Alice Alcubierre is the only daughter in her family with only a mother. When she discovered psychic abilities, she used her free time to develop her powers to a significant degree. Although she caused a lot of trouble, it's also thanks to her powers that she made a living at an early age to take care of her parents. After they died, she went to the United States as she promised them, under the belief that she'll have an easier living.
When World War II came with the Germanian and Neuroi invasions, that didn't stop Alice from using her money to travel to Europe. In fact, she saw this as an opportunity to use her powers for good, listening to the propaganda denouncing Germania as warmongering collaborators of the Neuroi. She wishes to make it a surprise and thus heads over to Westria to do it.
If Alice is chosen as the main character, Tipler encourages to take a more active approach to the way to further develop her abilities. Therefore, she goes to Eylstadt, where the Germanians are readying for an invasion. By getting there, they plan to sneak into the city of Albringen, unaware that the princess of Eylstadt is on the way.
Alice's psychic abilities specialize in fire, wind, and light.
In any case, here's the episode.
"Princess, wake up."
A man bumped a young woman next to her. He was sitting with another man across from him on a luxurious passenger train. They were right by a corner to ensure no one could see their faces, especially the woman onboard.
Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt, formally known as Finé by those who knew her best, widened her eyes from her bodyguard's nudge. During the long ride, she was in the middle of daydream about her childhood, when she was racing with her dog to a nearby residence. That was the moment she saw her...someone she would never forget in her life.
But there was no more time for daydreaming. As heiress to the Duchy of Eylstadt, she had an unwavering duty and mission. She could not risk putting herself in jeopardy, even when she was in a neutral territory.
As she paid attention to Tobias's signals, she caught a glimpse of the last thing she wanted to see on her trip to Westria.
"Germanian soldiers?" Fine eyed on two men with dark green-colored military uniforms and silver plating. "A random inspection here?"
The two men were holding a photo that had Finé's face without a doubt. The two men were checking the passengers on the train seat by seat.
"You can't do this! This is a neutral country!"
"We're here to investigate a suspicious person who's supposed to be on this train. Please be cooperative."
The soldiers gave a false sense of security as they were doing their best to check everyone's faces, even willing to use force if needed. As the citizens argued with the soldiers, Finé's men signaled that it was time for them to move. Trouble would inevitably come if they remained there.
"Damn those Germanian soldiers. What the hell is the government doing?"
One passenger cursed over the soldiers' presence. As a neutral country, shouldn't even the countries at war respect the rights of those who want nothing to do with it?
The passenger's rant got the soldiers' attention. Before they continued with their search, they spotted three people trying to leave the train.
"You there! Halt!"
The soldiers then went off to pursue their suspects.
In a nearby town, a young girl with blond hair just exited out of a small building. She walked backward out of the front door, waving at staff inside.
"Thanks for the food, goodbye!" Alice Alcubierre waved as she quickly left the building.
"Hold on! Are you sure you want to-"
"Don't worry about! I'm okay, sir! Thank you!"
Alice already caused a bit of ruckus when she butted out of the building with little manners. Her rude behavior got the attention of nearby citizens as she ran from the building. She already got significant attention with her attire, which was not normal. Only those who knew her understood behavior considering where she came.
Within a green fanny pack she wore around her waist, Tipler went was spinning over the oscillating movements of Alice's running. As he attempted to open the top cover off, the joyful Alice held her hand over it, keeping him inside the pack.
"A-A-Al-li-ce-sa-ma-a-a-a-a!"
The little Murlock bounced and impacted repeatedly inside her fanny pack as she ran through the streets of the Westrian town. After running through some blocks, it wasn't long before she reached the outskirts, where all she could see were trees, rivers, mountains, and the sunset up ahead. By the time Alice stopped moving and Tipler was able to get out, the little creature was already left dizzy and speaking gibberish.
"Jeez Tipler, could you be a little more patient? I told you that we'd move quickly as soon as I finished!"
"As I said Alice-sama, I have little patience," Tipler regain his balance annoyingly. "Besides, you were taking so much time eating your food."
"The place was expensive from the start! If they wanted money that badly, I had to make sure that they earned it!"
"And you did so by using your powers to rob the store of their food supply. Someone would figure it out sooner or later that you'd be behind it."
"And how would they figure out that? As long as they don't know I have you know what, it's not like they can build up a case about it. Besides, using my power isn't tiring, you know?"
"I prefer if you put those powers to more use, Alice-sama," Tipler addressed his grievances. "There's no telling and where'll arrive."
"You mean the Vilag?"
That was the name of the threat Tipler warned. Alice couldn't understand it, having little context over what he was explaining. Yet again, she couldn't understand a lot of things, including how she could've gotten her powers in the first place.
"As I said, Alice-sama, the Vilag does not take transgressions lightly. Once they arrive, not only will they come after me, but you as well. And they will never stop hunting you down."
"Not if I can outrun them first!" Alice looked back to see officers patrolling the streets. It was unknown whether or not they were looking for her. "Besides, that what this exercise is for, isn't it?"
"Alice-sama, you shouldn't be so-"
"Hang on!"
At the moment, gusts of wind started swirling around her hands, blinding the little Murlock. The small twisters around her arms later became strong enough that they lifted her off the ground. When she was a significant distance in mid-air, glowing spheres of light emitted at her palms, bursting into powerful flames.
After a few seconds, Alice took off with an instant launch, heading toward the forests of the Westria. As she dodged the first tree at an acute angle, Alice started making twists and turns throughout the forest. As they cruised deeper into the forest, they flew that a path parallel to the nearby railroad tracks.
In a barely lit car, a ventilation opening was kicked inside. Moments later, Finé entered through the hole and into the train's cargo area.
The princess and her guards attempted to outrun their pursuers by heading to the top of the train. The Germanian soldiers followed and a shootout ensued between the two groups. Finé nearly fell off when the train made a turn, throwing her to the side. Thanks to Hermann, she was saved from falling to her death. As Tobias covered them, Finé found the ventilation opening she kicked open. Although there wasn't much light, it has many crates for them to hide in, allowing them to hide for the time being.
As her guards followed close behind, Finé wandered to the back of the car. She couldn't explain why, but she felt some aura emitting in the area, something that recalled memories like that dream she had. This unknown element lured her past the crates and towards a strange container.
The special cargo was isolated from the rest of the crates. The length and size were enough to carry something human her size. Many tubes and containers connected to the tank that built up fog on the little window. Finé wiped the fog, she could only see darkness, which added more to the mystery.
"Princess Fine, what are you doing?"
Hermann approached the princess with Tobias falling not far behind.
"I don't know," Finé answered. "But this coffin piqued my interest for some reason."
Almost too familiar, she thought as she pulled the latches holding the tank together. But what? What was in this thing that attracted her so much?
"That is quite enough, Princess."
Finé and her guards jumped over the dark male voice. Emerging from the shadows, Major Arnold Berkmann approached the princess and her guards with a smug look and pistol in his right hand.
"That there is the personal property of His Majesty."
Hermann used a suitcase to defend Finé as she hid behind the container. Tobias took cover by a few crates stored on the wall of the car.
"Tell me, what's inside? Who exactly is in this coffin?"
"That is classified information, I'm afraid."
Berkmann aimed at Finé's head despite Hermann guarding him. In response, Tobias emerged from the crates fired at Berkmann, only to barely dodge the attack. His attempts to shoot the princess, however, were blocked by Tobias instead.
"Tobias!"
Finé shouted as one of her guards was severely wounded in the chest. The two Germanian soldiers who pursued him came up from behind Berkmann to assist.
"Princess…"
"Don't give up just yet."
Before the men could take the two into custody, the train was shrouded in darkness. Black ash entered through the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Berkmann took cover and covered his mouth to prevent himself from being exposed to enemy fire. Finé found this the perfect opportunity to escape.
"At the end of this tunnel, we'll be crossing the bridge. Hermann, you take care of Tobias for me."
Finé went ahead first by running through the black smoke and toward the large door. The latch was difficult to open and she had to use her full strength to make it budge. In the meantime, Hermann dragged Tobias's body and exchanged fire with the Germanians. The black smoke prevented either side from seeing one another, which meant both sides were firing blind. Hermann and Tobias were unharmed in the Germanians' exchange of fire as the former carried his wounded comrade.
As the train exited the tunnel, from light shone on the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Finé finally opened the door as large gusts of wind blew out of the car. She stared down to see a small river below. She signaled her bodyguard as they made the jump off the train.
As she fell down the river, she turned back to the car where that container was being kept. It was clear that someone, rather than something, was calling to her. Someone desired her company...and her rescue.
"Whoever you are...I'll come back for you...I swear…"
The two Germanian soldiers were too late to arrest the Elystadt visitors as they fell into the river. Both gripped their guns tightly over failing to apprehend their suspects. Berkmann, on the other hand, was very amused by the outcome.
"She's every bit the tomboy they say she is."
With his attention elsewhere, the two Germanian soldiers were to the nearby container. The two has the face of a young girl with unusual red hair."
"Major, who is this girl? And why would she be on the train?"
Berkmann sighed as he pointed his gun at the curious soldiers.
"My, my. Weren't you all listening? This is classified information, belonging to the Emperor himself."
"But sir, we were just following the Princess. We never thought we'd-"
Berkmann fired at on the two soldiers, both of them were shot in the head. As the two men laid dead on the floor, he walked to the open doorway that covered the light on their faces.
"I appreciate your dedication to your job, but you failed to remember that this is a neutral nation. Your actions made our name worse than it is already."
By then, Rickert Bisterfelt walked into the room. Berkmann didn't bother to turn his head, knowing well who was approaching. He instead went to the open door where the princess and her guards jumped out.
"Sir?"
"It looks like the princess of Elystadt is here after all."
"But why would the heir to the Archduke be leaving her homeland now? Is she trying to seek asylum?"
"No, knowing the Archduke, his family would not flee from his country. They'd rather fight to the death and be shot than do that."
"Then…"
"Tell me, Rickert," Berkmann faced his assistant. "Why would the crown princess of a nation, of which fears enemy invasion, make a personal trip to a neutral land?"
That's when it dawned on Rickert.
"Negotiations with the Allies?"
"Yes. Considering their close proximity and home to the Witches nowadays, it's most likely with Britannia."
"Do you think that they'll send Witches over to help?"
"Perhaps. We've been getting abnormal terrorist activity in the homeland as well. Attacks from the Karsland resistance force has risen dramatically."
Rickert pondered over the outcome of the said negotiations. It's true that Britannia was the primary headquarters of the 501st, one of the best military wings of Witches. Relationships with Germania were not good with either Britannia nor such magical girls, which are aware of their current treatment, even without knowing the test subject beside them.
"Now that I think about, Eylstadt is the home of the legendary Weisse Hexe clan, isn't it? Perhaps this is fate?"
"I can't say," Berkmann turned back to the open doorway. "However, if you're willing to put up a fight, you'd better hurry, Princess. Because your home country...may not last for long."
It was already well past evening time in Westria. The night filled the sky and sparkled it with thousands of stars. One the ground, the nearby cities were lit up with the spectacle of electric lights within the houses. The nearby rivers ran quite and the forest's trees blew in the direction of gentle breezes.
Except those breezes weren't gentle for long. Emerging from the forests was Alice, who was still feeling energetic with her powers.
After landing on a big branch, Alice jumped into the air, around a hundred feet above the ground. As she made her descent, she closed her eyes before spinning rapidly, creating strong gusts of wind as she descended. The leaves and sticks on the ground blew into the resulting tornado and drifted out of Alice's path as she glided back very close to the ground. She then dodged a few more trees before encountering the nearby river where she blasted fire forward to slow down.
When she slowed down enough, she touched the ground with her two feet to slow herself down. Her last step was very close to the edge, where she almost fell into the nearby river. It was only then that she took a deep breath from her exercise.
Tipler popped out of her green fanny pack not long after, panting over the adrenaline experience.
"You tired already, little rabbit?"
"I told you, it's Tipler! And don't call me by that name, I'm not a rabbit! I'm a Murlock!" Alice's giggles prompted the frustrated Murlock to sigh. "I knew that there were two choices I could've picked, but why did I ever pick you?"
"Hey, it's not your fault, isn't it? You said that you had two different choices to make and had no idea of the consequences."
"It would've still been better if you had some speck of obedience within you.
"Can't blame me either. I never anticipated you coming along. I was born in a liberal state after all!"
"So you say…"
Tipler went the nearby river with Alice as they splashed themselves with clear water. It was true that the start of his journey was a mere flip of a coin. He was given two different locations when her master set him off but was given no details. The only note her master gave him was that each path had someone with the unchecked power of Psionics.
Psionics...that was the power of the Vilag. It gave them extraordinary power that they can hold for a nearly indefinite amount of time. That power that was so great that went to great lengths to suppress that power in the name of peace. Even then, they wielded so much power that they ruled over and oppressed his kind. It was the ability that made the Murlocks look to them as gods and themselves as their food.
When he took this trip, he was expected to find one of these beings who manifested the power of Psionics. And unlike the Vilag, they could develop them liberally and had no limitations to their power.
That is...if they were able to develop them appropriately, as Alice could attest.
"Alice-sama," Tipler spoke to her psionic girl. "Tell me, are you willing to put your own life on the line?"
Alice spat out a gush of water and choked before answering.
"W-What? What are you talking about!?"
"In this mission, you'll be facing great dangers ahead of you. Chances are you'll have to risk your own life if you want to save the world. If that ever happens, would be willing to accept your fate, even knowing your death is inevitable?"
"What you mean by that, Tipler? When did I ever thought about dying?"
"But if you were-"
"Listen, little rabbit," Alice eyed with an annoyed face. "I have no intention of going down quietly, nor do I insist on dying anyway. I got a lot to live for, so if there's someone trying to kill me, I bash its face right in! I shall live, and live as a free woman, and there's nothing that'll ever change that!"
Tipler sighed once again as he hopped away from the river. Perhaps Alice was still a wild card after all.
"Besides," Alice continued. "I have my Psionics. What could possibly ever go wrong?"
Just when she said that a bright light shone in front of their faces. Alice covered to her eyes to protect them from the glare, but Tipler had no intention of doing that. After starting at it the first time, he was already too paralyzed to anything about it.
"It's…It's…."
"What is it, Tipler?"
"It's...them!"
"What are you talking about? You're saying this is the portal you've come through-"
In the middle of Alice's talk, a giant wolf-like monster jumped out of the portal and straight towards Alice. The Psionic girl dashed out the way with her abilities before landing hard onto the ground. She could already feel the pain coming from her legs due to the rough landing. For the first time, Alice heavily breathed over what looked like a sudden death. It was due to her instincts that she managed to jump away safely.
As the wolf monster made a soft landing, it turned slowly around toward her prey. Apparently, it was not concerned with Alice by any means. Instead, it was focused on Tipler, who was left paralyzed by the monsters, especially their growling.
"Tipler?" Alice called the Murlock as the wolf creature jumped towards him. "Tipler!"
Using her powers, Alice rockets towards the animal before it could reach the helpless bunny creature.
"Have some of this!"
Taking her right hand, she accumulated a conflagration of fire in her fist. Before Tipler could be eaten, she gave the monster a punch in the face, triggering a massive explosion to the being's head. Although it did not blast its head to gore like she expected, it still smashed its jaw and threw it towards a nearby tree before it died with a whimper.
As Alice sighed, she turned to Tipler as he recovered from the paralysis. Alice teased him with a handwave to his face.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, thank you, Alice-sama."
"My pleasure," Alice then went over to the dead beast. "So...these are the creatures you were talking about, huh?"
"Not exactly. These Hunterbeasts are the Vilag's ground attack dogs. Because they cannot simply kill other people with Psionics, they have others do the hunting and killing for them."
"You sure must be scared of them."
"That because they're a combination of many different animals. The roars of those creatures are so powerful any Murlock beneath freezes upon their arrival. Even when far away, the moment they spot us, there is nothing we can do to move in their presence."
"Well, they sure don't scare me," Alice spoke a half-truth over the encounter. "Attack dogs or not, I'm not letting these things get the best of me!"
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Tipler stared back at the gate.
Six more Hunterbeasts then emerged from the same portal. One by one, they went into a formation as they spotted their two targets. The portal closed behind them just after the last one got into position. Alice smirked as she eyed on the pursuing beasts before her.
"Well," Alice took Tipler and stored her in her fanny pack before manifesting wind and flames. "Let's see how hard they hit then!"
The first Hunterbeast leaped forward against the Psionic girl, who responded with an explosion of smoke. The Hunterbeast stopped for a moment to sense where Alice went, taking him upward to the sky. From there, Alice was already preparing her next move at a position they could reach, at least from her perspective.
Alice started by creating small fireballs before throwing them at the giant beasts. The monsters dodged her attacks, although she got lucky with one that impacted a creature's head. The Hunterbeasts responded by hardening their hairs before shooting them like needles into the sky. Alice defended herself with the guts of wind that deflected and circled the shots around her. She then returned fire with a hail of their own needles to fend off her attackers.
As one of the Hunterbeasts got blinded by Alice's attack, she charged in smashed the creature in the face. She didn't realize it the first time, that these beasts had skulls as hard as steel, making her wonder who could make these creatures so strong. It hurt her hand just to kill the thing, but it wasn't so much she had to stop fighting.
As another Hunterbeast attempted to pounce her from behind, she grabbed hold of its paws before manifesting more heat from her hands. As her hands became very hot, the creature was forced to let go before Alice blew it away with a strong gust of wind. She then repelled two more incoming Hunterbeasts by frying one creature's skull with a fireball between the eyes and then uppercutting the other from the underbelly.
As the remaining three Hunterbeasts growled, they fired more spikes toward Alice, causing her to evade the shower of steel prickles. Although they hit nothing vital, the shots that grazed her gave some significant cuts on her skin, causing her to cover her wounds. However, she wasn't going to go down that easily. As the last three Hunterbeasts went for another shower, Alice responded by raising her arms into the air, created that bright flash of light that blinded Tipler and the three creatures around her. With the Hunterbeasts left to cover their eyes with their paws, Alice used the opportunity to attack.
By using her wind powers, she ripped the next shower of needles straight off of the Hunterbeasts' hides before surrounding herself with them. The beasts themselves were pulled forward and were left rolling the backs in pain. Alice then finished it with a large dust devil, using the needles and sharp cuts of wind to repeatedly attack the down creatures in numerous directions. By the time the attack passed, the Hunterbeasts were already a few meters into the air, covered in severe cuts that left them dead a long time ago.
Alice calmed herself the moment she touched the ground. Moments later, Tipler popped out of the bag and found all the monsters dead. His eyes widened over how much power Alice accumulated just by her proclaimed self-learning.
"Huh, didn't think they'd be as tough as this," Alice said to herself before kneeling to the ground. "Of course, it's nothing I can handle."
"Are you okay, Alice-sama?"
"I'm fine...I've dealt with injuries like this before…"
Alice barely maintained consciousness as she held herself up with one hand. Tipler approached to assist her.
"Don't push yourself, Alice-sama. Remember that there'll be more where those came from. If you fall now, there'll be nothing to save the future."
"So, these things really are threatening everyone…"
"Didn't I tell you? You are the key to everyone's future. If you really want to live your life free, then you have to live and get stronger as you progress."
"Guess that's something we can agree with, eh?" Alice calmed down as her wounds started healing. She took a knee and eventually a step. "Okay, I'll play along with you. Besides, I don't intend to go down just like this."
Tipler nodded as Alice still recovered from her wounds. As part of some who came from the Vilag, her Psionic powers and human evolution should give some sort of self-healing abilities. However, the wounds she just received are too much for a quick recovery.
"We should find you a place to rest first. Sleeping here is not a good idea; there could be more Hunterbeasts coming."
"The capital of Westria should be near. Let's start heading there and see what we can find."
"As you say, Alice-sama."
The two then proceeded down the river, unaware that other guests nearby are heading towards the same destination.
Finé and Hermann were also by the river as they treated their wounded comrade dying from his wounds.
"Hang in there, Tobias!"
"Where are you...princess?"
"Don't worry, she right here," Hermann assured.
"I'm here. It's all thanks to you."
"Princess...save...our country."
"I will, even if it costs me my life!"
Just as when Finé made her pledge, it was already too late. Tobias's eyes went white and he eyelids closed down. Hermann shook over the futility of trying to save his life, while Finé held back her tears.
"I can't worry about it now. The meeting with the Britannian ambassador is tomorrow." The princess stood up as she headed to the nearby city. "I'll make it to Albringen, even it kills me. We need to spur the Allies into action!"
Finé then proceeded with Hermann following close behind. She could not afford to turn back now. Her whole country depended on her negotiations with the Allied forces. And for her, the world outright demanded their action.
So that's the first Episode featuring our new protagonist. It's short, I know, but that's how I intended to go with this fic. I want to practice my writing so I don't have to write so much just to not get far with the story.
That said, the next Episode is going to be cut into three parts due to how much of the story I'll have to cover along the way. This'll still remain label an Izetta x Strike Witches story as I go about the first ten or so Episodes.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the read.
For a quick recap, this is the bio for the chosen character.
Alice Alcubierre
Age: ~16
Birthday: N/A
Nationality: United States of Liberion
Height: 65 inches
Hair color: Blonde, shoulder length
Cup Size: C
Eye color: Silver
Skin/fur/etc colour: White
Preferred style of clothing: Red sleeveless shirt and green shorts.
Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her left ear.
Personality: Adventurous, liberal, hot-blooded, mischievous
Likes: Exploration
Dislikes: Timeouts
Favorite color: Red
STORY
Alice Alcubierre is the only daughter in her family with only a mother. When she discovered psychic abilities, she used her free time to develop her powers to a significant degree. Although she caused a lot of trouble, it's also thanks to her powers that she made a living at an early age to take care of her parents. After they died, she went to the United States as she promised them, under the belief that she'll have an easier living.
When World War II came with the Germanian and Neuroi invasions, that didn't stop Alice from using her money to travel to Europe. In fact, she saw this as an opportunity to use her powers for good, listening to the propaganda denouncing Germania as warmongering collaborators of the Neuroi. She wishes to make it a surprise and thus heads over to Westria to do it.
If Alice is chosen as the main character, Tipler encourages to take a more active approach to the way to further develop her abilities. Therefore, she goes to Eylstadt, where the Germanians are readying for an invasion. By getting there, they plan to sneak into the city of Albringen, unaware that the princess of Eylstadt is on the way.
Alice's psychic abilities specialize in fire, wind, and light.
In any case, here's the episode.
"Princess, wake up."
A man bumped a young woman next to her. He was sitting with another man across from him on a luxurious passenger train. They were right by a corner to ensure no one could see their faces, especially the woman onboard.
Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt, formally known as Finé by those who knew her best, widened her eyes from her bodyguard's nudge. During the long ride, she was in the middle of daydream about her childhood, when she was racing with her dog to a nearby residence. That was the moment she saw her...someone she would never forget in her life.
But there was no more time for daydreaming. As heiress to the Duchy of Eylstadt, she had an unwavering duty and mission. She could not risk putting herself in jeopardy, even when she was in a neutral territory.
As she paid attention to Tobias's signals, she caught a glimpse of the last thing she wanted to see on her trip to Westria.
"Germanian soldiers?" Fine eyed on two men with dark green-colored military uniforms and silver plating. "A random inspection here?"
The two men were holding a photo that had Finé's face without a doubt. The two men were checking the passengers on the train seat by seat.
"You can't do this! This is a neutral country!"
"We're here to investigate a suspicious person who's supposed to be on this train. Please be cooperative."
The soldiers gave a false sense of security as they were doing their best to check everyone's faces, even willing to use force if needed. As the citizens argued with the soldiers, Finé's men signaled that it was time for them to move. Trouble would inevitably come if they remained there.
"Damn those Germanian soldiers. What the hell is the government doing?"
One passenger cursed over the soldiers' presence. As a neutral country, shouldn't even the countries at war respect the rights of those who want nothing to do with it?
The passenger's rant got the soldiers' attention. Before they continued with their search, they spotted three people trying to leave the train.
"You there! Halt!"
The soldiers then went off to pursue their suspects.
In a nearby town, a young girl with blond hair just exited out of a small building. She walked backward out of the front door, waving at staff inside.
"Thanks for the food, goodbye!" Alice Alcubierre waved as she quickly left the building.
"Hold on! Are you sure you want to-"
"Don't worry about! I'm okay, sir! Thank you!"
Alice already caused a bit of ruckus when she butted out of the building with little manners. Her rude behavior got the attention of nearby citizens as she ran from the building. She already got significant attention with her attire, which was not normal. Only those who knew her understood behavior considering where she came.
Within a green fanny pack she wore around her waist, Tipler went was spinning over the oscillating movements of Alice's running. As he attempted to open the top cover off, the joyful Alice held her hand over it, keeping him inside the pack.
"A-A-Al-li-ce-sa-ma-a-a-a-a!"
The little Murlock bounced and impacted repeatedly inside her fanny pack as she ran through the streets of the Westrian town. After running through some blocks, it wasn't long before she reached the outskirts, where all she could see were trees, rivers, mountains, and the sunset up ahead. By the time Alice stopped moving and Tipler was able to get out, the little creature was already left dizzy and speaking gibberish.
"Jeez Tipler, could you be a little more patient? I told you that we'd move quickly as soon as I finished!"
"As I said Alice-sama, I have little patience," Tipler regain his balance annoyingly. "Besides, you were taking so much time eating your food."
"The place was expensive from the start! If they wanted money that badly, I had to make sure that they earned it!"
"And you did so by using your powers to rob the store of their food supply. Someone would figure it out sooner or later that you'd be behind it."
"And how would they figure out that? As long as they don't know I have you know what, it's not like they can build up a case about it. Besides, using my power isn't tiring, you know?"
"I prefer if you put those powers to more use, Alice-sama," Tipler addressed his grievances. "There's no telling and where'll arrive."
"You mean the Vilag?"
That was the name of the threat Tipler warned. Alice couldn't understand it, having little context over what he was explaining. Yet again, she couldn't understand a lot of things, including how she could've gotten her powers in the first place.
"As I said, Alice-sama, the Vilag does not take transgressions lightly. Once they arrive, not only will they come after me, but you as well. And they will never stop hunting you down."
"Not if I can outrun them first!" Alice looked back to see officers patrolling the streets. It was unknown whether or not they were looking for her. "Besides, that what this exercise is for, isn't it?"
"Alice-sama, you shouldn't be so-"
"Hang on!"
At the moment, gusts of wind started swirling around her hands, blinding the little Murlock. The small twisters around her arms later became strong enough that they lifted her off the ground. When she was a significant distance in mid-air, glowing spheres of light emitted at her palms, bursting into powerful flames.
After a few seconds, Alice took off with an instant launch, heading toward the forests of the Westria. As she dodged the first tree at an acute angle, Alice started making twists and turns throughout the forest. As they cruised deeper into the forest, they flew that a path parallel to the nearby railroad tracks.
In a barely lit car, a ventilation opening was kicked inside. Moments later, Finé entered through the hole and into the train's cargo area.
The princess and her guards attempted to outrun their pursuers by heading to the top of the train. The Germanian soldiers followed and a shootout ensued between the two groups. Finé nearly fell off when the train made a turn, throwing her to the side. Thanks to Hermann, she was saved from falling to her death. As Tobias covered them, Finé found the ventilation opening she kicked open. Although there wasn't much light, it has many crates for them to hide in, allowing them to hide for the time being.
As her guards followed close behind, Finé wandered to the back of the car. She couldn't explain why, but she felt some aura emitting in the area, something that recalled memories like that dream she had. This unknown element lured her past the crates and towards a strange container.
The special cargo was isolated from the rest of the crates. The length and size were enough to carry something human her size. Many tubes and containers connected to the tank that built up fog on the little window. Finé wiped the fog, she could only see darkness, which added more to the mystery.
"Princess Fine, what are you doing?"
Hermann approached the princess with Tobias falling not far behind.
"I don't know," Finé answered. "But this coffin piqued my interest for some reason."
Almost too familiar, she thought as she pulled the latches holding the tank together. But what? What was in this thing that attracted her so much?
"That is quite enough, Princess."
Finé and her guards jumped over the dark male voice. Emerging from the shadows, Major Arnold Berkmann approached the princess and her guards with a smug look and pistol in his right hand.
"That there is the personal property of His Majesty."
Hermann used a suitcase to defend Finé as she hid behind the container. Tobias took cover by a few crates stored on the wall of the car.
"Tell me, what's inside? Who exactly is in this coffin?"
"That is classified information, I'm afraid."
Berkmann aimed at Finé's head despite Hermann guarding him. In response, Tobias emerged from the crates fired at Berkmann, only to barely dodge the attack. His attempts to shoot the princess, however, were blocked by Tobias instead.
"Tobias!"
Finé shouted as one of her guards was severely wounded in the chest. The two Germanian soldiers who pursued him came up from behind Berkmann to assist.
"Princess…"
"Don't give up just yet."
Before the men could take the two into custody, the train was shrouded in darkness. Black ash entered through the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Berkmann took cover and covered his mouth to prevent himself from being exposed to enemy fire. Finé found this the perfect opportunity to escape.
"At the end of this tunnel, we'll be crossing the bridge. Hermann, you take care of Tobias for me."
Finé went ahead first by running through the black smoke and toward the large door. The latch was difficult to open and she had to use her full strength to make it budge. In the meantime, Hermann dragged Tobias's body and exchanged fire with the Germanians. The black smoke prevented either side from seeing one another, which meant both sides were firing blind. Hermann and Tobias were unharmed in the Germanians' exchange of fire as the former carried his wounded comrade.
As the train exited the tunnel, from light shone on the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Finé finally opened the door as large gusts of wind blew out of the car. She stared down to see a small river below. She signaled her bodyguard as they made the jump off the train.
As she fell down the river, she turned back to the car where that container was being kept. It was clear that someone, rather than something, was calling to her. Someone desired her company...and her rescue.
"Whoever you are...I'll come back for you...I swear…"
The two Germanian soldiers were too late to arrest the Elystadt visitors as they fell into the river. Both gripped their guns tightly over failing to apprehend their suspects. Berkmann, on the other hand, was very amused by the outcome.
"She's every bit the tomboy they say she is."
With his attention elsewhere, the two Germanian soldiers were to the nearby container. The two has the face of a young girl with unusual red hair."
"Major, who is this girl? And why would she be on the train?"
Berkmann sighed as he pointed his gun at the curious soldiers.
"My, my. Weren't you all listening? This is classified information, belonging to the Emperor himself."
"But sir, we were just following the Princess. We never thought we'd-"
Berkmann fired at on the two soldiers, both of them were shot in the head. As the two men laid dead on the floor, he walked to the open doorway that covered the light on their faces.
"I appreciate your dedication to your job, but you failed to remember that this is a neutral nation. Your actions made our name worse than it is already."
By then, Rickert Bisterfelt walked into the room. Berkmann didn't bother to turn his head, knowing well who was approaching. He instead went to the open door where the princess and her guards jumped out.
"Sir?"
"It looks like the princess of Elystadt is here after all."
"But why would the heir to the Archduke be leaving her homeland now? Is she trying to seek asylum?"
"No, knowing the Archduke, his family would not flee from his country. They'd rather fight to the death and be shot than do that."
"Then…"
"Tell me, Rickert," Berkmann faced his assistant. "Why would the crown princess of a nation, of which fears enemy invasion, make a personal trip to a neutral land?"
That's when it dawned on Rickert.
"Negotiations with the Allies?"
"Yes. Considering their close proximity and home to the Witches nowadays, it's most likely with Britannia."
"Do you think that they'll send Witches over to help?"
"Perhaps. We've been getting abnormal terrorist activity in the homeland as well. Attacks from the Karsland resistance force has risen dramatically."
Rickert pondered over the outcome of the said negotiations. It's true that Britannia was the primary headquarters of the 501st, one of the best military wings of Witches. Relationships with Germania were not good with either Britannia nor such magical girls, which are aware of their current treatment, even without knowing the test subject beside them.
"Now that I think about, Eylstadt is the home of the legendary Weisse Hexe clan, isn't it? Perhaps this is fate?"
"I can't say," Berkmann turned back to the open doorway. "However, if you're willing to put up a fight, you'd better hurry, Princess. Because your home country...may not last for long."
It was already well past evening time in Westria. The night filled the sky and sparkled it with thousands of stars. One the ground, the nearby cities were lit up with the spectacle of electric lights within the houses. The nearby rivers ran quite and the forest's trees blew in the direction of gentle breezes.
Except those breezes weren't gentle for long. Emerging from the forests was Alice, who was still feeling energetic with her powers.
After landing on a big branch, Alice jumped into the air, around a hundred feet above the ground. As she made her descent, she closed her eyes before spinning rapidly, creating strong gusts of wind as she descended. The leaves and sticks on the ground blew into the resulting tornado and drifted out of Alice's path as she glided back very close to the ground. She then dodged a few more trees before encountering the nearby river where she blasted fire forward to slow down.
When she slowed down enough, she touched the ground with her two feet to slow herself down. Her last step was very close to the edge, where she almost fell into the nearby river. It was only then that she took a deep breath from her exercise.
Tipler popped out of her green fanny pack not long after, panting over the adrenaline experience.
"You tired already, little rabbit?"
"I told you, it's Tipler! And don't call me by that name, I'm not a rabbit! I'm a Murlock!" Alice's giggles prompted the frustrated Murlock to sigh. "I knew that there were two choices I could've picked, but why did I ever pick you?"
"Hey, it's not your fault, isn't it? You said that you had two different choices to make and had no idea of the consequences."
"It would've still been better if you had some speck of obedience within you.
"Can't blame me either. I never anticipated you coming along. I was born in a liberal state after all!"
"So you say…"
Tipler went the nearby river with Alice as they splashed themselves with clear water. It was true that the start of his journey was a mere flip of a coin. He was given two different locations when her master set him off but was given no details. The only note her master gave him was that each path had someone with the unchecked power of Psionics.
Psionics...that was the power of the Vilag. It gave them extraordinary power that they can hold for a nearly indefinite amount of time. That power that was so great that went to great lengths to suppress that power in the name of peace. Even then, they wielded so much power that they ruled over and oppressed his kind. It was the ability that made the Murlocks look to them as gods and themselves as their food.
When he took this trip, he was expected to find one of these beings who manifested the power of Psionics. And unlike the Vilag, they could develop them liberally and had no limitations to their power.
That is...if they were able to develop them appropriately, as Alice could attest.
"Alice-sama," Tipler spoke to her psionic girl. "Tell me, are you willing to put your own life on the line?"
Alice spat out a gush of water and choked before answering.
"W-What? What are you talking about!?"
"In this mission, you'll be facing great dangers ahead of you. Chances are you'll have to risk your own life if you want to save the world. If that ever happens, would be willing to accept your fate, even knowing your death is inevitable?"
"What you mean by that, Tipler? When did I ever thought about dying?"
"But if you were-"
"Listen, little rabbit," Alice eyed with an annoyed face. "I have no intention of going down quietly, nor do I insist on dying anyway. I got a lot to live for, so if there's someone trying to kill me, I bash its face right in! I shall live, and live as a free woman, and there's nothing that'll ever change that!"
Tipler sighed once again as he hopped away from the river. Perhaps Alice was still a wild card after all.
"Besides," Alice continued. "I have my Psionics. What could possibly ever go wrong?"
Just when she said that a bright light shone in front of their faces. Alice covered to her eyes to protect them from the glare, but Tipler had no intention of doing that. After starting at it the first time, he was already too paralyzed to anything about it.
"It's…It's…."
"What is it, Tipler?"
"It's...them!"
"What are you talking about? You're saying this is the portal you've come through-"
In the middle of Alice's talk, a giant wolf-like monster jumped out of the portal and straight towards Alice. The Psionic girl dashed out the way with her abilities before landing hard onto the ground. She could already feel the pain coming from her legs due to the rough landing. For the first time, Alice heavily breathed over what looked like a sudden death. It was due to her instincts that she managed to jump away safely.
As the wolf monster made a soft landing, it turned slowly around toward her prey. Apparently, it was not concerned with Alice by any means. Instead, it was focused on Tipler, who was left paralyzed by the monsters, especially their growling.
"Tipler?" Alice called the Murlock as the wolf creature jumped towards him. "Tipler!"
Using her powers, Alice rockets towards the animal before it could reach the helpless bunny creature.
"Have some of this!"
Taking her right hand, she accumulated a conflagration of fire in her fist. Before Tipler could be eaten, she gave the monster a punch in the face, triggering a massive explosion to the being's head. Although it did not blast its head to gore like she expected, it still smashed its jaw and threw it towards a nearby tree before it died with a whimper.
As Alice sighed, she turned to Tipler as he recovered from the paralysis. Alice teased him with a handwave to his face.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, thank you, Alice-sama."
"My pleasure," Alice then went over to the dead beast. "So...these are the creatures you were talking about, huh?"
"Not exactly. These Hunterbeasts are the Vilag's ground attack dogs. Because they cannot simply kill other people with Psionics, they have others do the hunting and killing for them."
"You sure must be scared of them."
"That because they're a combination of many different animals. The roars of those creatures are so powerful any Murlock beneath freezes upon their arrival. Even when far away, the moment they spot us, there is nothing we can do to move in their presence."
"Well, they sure don't scare me," Alice spoke a half-truth over the encounter. "Attack dogs or not, I'm not letting these things get the best of me!"
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Tipler stared back at the gate.
Six more Hunterbeasts then emerged from the same portal. One by one, they went into a formation as they spotted their two targets. The portal closed behind them just after the last one got into position. Alice smirked as she eyed on the pursuing beasts before her.
"Well," Alice took Tipler and stored her in her fanny pack before manifesting wind and flames. "Let's see how hard they hit then!"
The first Hunterbeast leaped forward against the Psionic girl, who responded with an explosion of smoke. The Hunterbeast stopped for a moment to sense where Alice went, taking him upward to the sky. From there, Alice was already preparing her next move at a position they could reach, at least from her perspective.
Alice started by creating small fireballs before throwing them at the giant beasts. The monsters dodged her attacks, although she got lucky with one that impacted a creature's head. The Hunterbeasts responded by hardening their hairs before shooting them like needles into the sky. Alice defended herself with the guts of wind that deflected and circled the shots around her. She then returned fire with a hail of their own needles to fend off her attackers.
As one of the Hunterbeasts got blinded by Alice's attack, she charged in smashed the creature in the face. She didn't realize it the first time, that these beasts had skulls as hard as steel, making her wonder who could make these creatures so strong. It hurt her hand just to kill the thing, but it wasn't so much she had to stop fighting.
As another Hunterbeast attempted to pounce her from behind, she grabbed hold of its paws before manifesting more heat from her hands. As her hands became very hot, the creature was forced to let go before Alice blew it away with a strong gust of wind. She then repelled two more incoming Hunterbeasts by frying one creature's skull with a fireball between the eyes and then uppercutting the other from the underbelly.
As the remaining three Hunterbeasts growled, they fired more spikes toward Alice, causing her to evade the shower of steel prickles. Although they hit nothing vital, the shots that grazed her gave some significant cuts on her skin, causing her to cover her wounds. However, she wasn't going to go down that easily. As the last three Hunterbeasts went for another shower, Alice responded by raising her arms into the air, created that bright flash of light that blinded Tipler and the three creatures around her. With the Hunterbeasts left to cover their eyes with their paws, Alice used the opportunity to attack.
By using her wind powers, she ripped the next shower of needles straight off of the Hunterbeasts' hides before surrounding herself with them. The beasts themselves were pulled forward and were left rolling the backs in pain. Alice then finished it with a large dust devil, using the needles and sharp cuts of wind to repeatedly attack the down creatures in numerous directions. By the time the attack passed, the Hunterbeasts were already a few meters into the air, covered in severe cuts that left them dead a long time ago.
Alice calmed herself the moment she touched the ground. Moments later, Tipler popped out of the bag and found all the monsters dead. His eyes widened over how much power Alice accumulated just by her proclaimed self-learning.
"Huh, didn't think they'd be as tough as this," Alice said to herself before kneeling to the ground. "Of course, it's nothing I can handle."
"Are you okay, Alice-sama?"
"I'm fine...I've dealt with injuries like this before…"
Alice barely maintained consciousness as she held herself up with one hand. Tipler approached to assist her.
"Don't push yourself, Alice-sama. Remember that there'll be more where those came from. If you fall now, there'll be nothing to save the future."
"So, these things really are threatening everyone…"
"Didn't I tell you? You are the key to everyone's future. If you really want to live your life free, then you have to live and get stronger as you progress."
"Guess that's something we can agree with, eh?" Alice calmed down as her wounds started healing. She took a knee and eventually a step. "Okay, I'll play along with you. Besides, I don't intend to go down just like this."
Tipler nodded as Alice still recovered from her wounds. As part of some who came from the Vilag, her Psionic powers and human evolution should give some sort of self-healing abilities. However, the wounds she just received are too much for a quick recovery.
"We should find you a place to rest first. Sleeping here is not a good idea; there could be more Hunterbeasts coming."
"The capital of Westria should be near. Let's start heading there and see what we can find."
"As you say, Alice-sama."
The two then proceeded down the river, unaware that other guests nearby are heading towards the same destination.
Finé and Hermann were also by the river as they treated their wounded comrade dying from his wounds.
"Hang in there, Tobias!"
"Where are you...princess?"
"Don't worry, she right here," Hermann assured.
"I'm here. It's all thanks to you."
"Princess...save...our country."
"I will, even if it costs me my life!"
Just as when Finé made her pledge, it was already too late. Tobias's eyes went white and he eyelids closed down. Hermann shook over the futility of trying to save his life, while Finé held back her tears.
"I can't worry about it now. The meeting with the Britannian ambassador is tomorrow." The princess stood up as she headed to the nearby city. "I'll make it to Albringen, even it kills me. We need to spur the Allies into action!"
Finé then proceeded with Hermann following close behind. She could not afford to turn back now. Her whole country depended on her negotiations with the Allied forces. And for her, the world outright demanded their action.
So that's the first Episode featuring our new protagonist. It's short, I know, but that's how I intended to go with this fic. I want to practice my writing so I don't have to write so much just to not get far with the story.
That said, the next Episode is going to be cut into three parts due to how much of the story I'll have to cover along the way. This'll still remain label an Izetta x Strike Witches story as I go about the first ten or so Episodes.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the read.
Episode 2-1
So here's the start of Episode 2, before any fighting takes place.
The streets of Albringen were not as bustling as Alice has hoped. By seeing the sign to the capital of Westria, Alice expected something more. That night, she slept on a tree while using Tipler as a pillow, much to his discomfort. She was wanted to get an early start on whatever activities she expected to appear. However, the environment was...disappointing to say the least.
"Agghh, this is frustrating!"
"Alice-sama," Tipler remained hidden in her pack as she walked down an alley.
"I swear that even the tiniest of villages of Liberion always had something going on in the middle of the day. The silence of this place is already giving me a headache!"
"Please, quiet down, Alice-sama. Besides, you must be aware that we're in constant danger no matter where we go. Anyone around could be the enemy."
"I know, I know! Still, the place could be a little livelier than it is."
"I don't think it's that simple," Tipler argued. "The people here are not very comfortable. They're all worried about something. Something they fear will befall upon them, no matter the neutrality."
"You mean like the Neuroi?"
"The Neuroi?"
"Those black objects that are attacking humanity without any reason, or rather they're just incapable of it. The only ones they haven't attacked are those goons up in Germania."
As she finished, several vehicles drove past them as they nearly exited the alleyway. A black car with several trucks behind it had the symbolic diagonal cross with a dagger replacing one of its arms. A Germanian soldier ordered in his respective language to the people at a crosswalk that was blocking the convoy.
"Well, speak of the devil," Alice snarked. "Even in a neutral nation, they act like they are the king of the house."
"They do not sound like good people," Tipler agreed. "I overheard some people talking about them invading a nearby state south of us."
"Eylstadt has always been a nation Germania has hoped to seize for some reason even I don't understand. Why should such a tiny nation be all that important to a mighty empire?"
"Perhaps there's someone or..something that they want?"
"I don't know. It's not like I read any of this place's legends or anything like that! Such things are irrelevant to me."
"Even with the existence of so-called Witches?"
"Yeah, even that!"
"Then, there must be something around that intrigues them. For what I've read on this world's map, Eylstadt borders east of the country. Perhaps they're somehow connected?"
Alice sighed as the Germanian convoy went by and started shrinking in the distance. However, she was more frustrated that their journey- or rather her journey- was getting nowhere. Should this be a time she took a more active approach?
"Well, it's not like staying around here is any better," Alice tightened her fanny pack.
"W-What are you doing, Alice-sama?"
"I think we're going to play a little follow the leader here. We'll just have to follow those cars without them noticing. Hold on!"
Alice then covered her pack, forcing Tipler inside so he didn't fall out. As the Germanian convoy was barely in the distance, Alice went out of the alley, leaning on the nearby walls and trees to secretly pursue.
In the middle of Westria's capital laid a large theatre hall. The Germanic play of Die Zauberflöte was playing in the center of the concert. The audience watched from the main floor and three-story balconies. On the third level of the hall was an old Britannian man who enjoyed the fine scenery around himself as he listened to the villain of the opera. He was then distracted by the door opening beside him.
"Sorry for interrupting your evening."
Finé walked in with a royal purple dress. Lord Redford opened his arms in welcome to the princess of Eylstadt.
"Why, you have become so beautiful! I can see why Prince Henry is quite taken of you. You simply look dazzling, Princess Finé."
"And you're as skilled at flattery as ever, Lord Redford."
"His Highness was moved by the letter you sent," the Britannian man bowed before her. "And how is your father?"
"No need to worry about him. He's slowly recovering and should be fine in a matter of days."
"I see. I was worried when I was told that the Archduke was bedridden, but it seems like I was wrong about him."
"So it seems."
Inside, she sighed as she pulled off what was a lie. Her straight face was enough to appraise the Britannian ambassador before him.
"You're going to be an excellent leader someday."
"I am honored, Lord Redford."
"Now then, shall we get to the discussion?"
Finé walked to the seat across from Lord Redford. As the play continued in the background, the two went straight to the main topic. The Britannian noble started while facing partially away from Finé.
"Now, it pains me to say this, but it will be very difficult to send another expedition to mainland Europe. We suffered heavy losses in our last defeat. The damage in the struggle against the Neuroi was too great."
"What about the special Witch divisions stationed there? Shouldn't the 501st you have established nearby reach our nation without any problem?"
"I'm afraid Marshal Maloney is too busy with such matters, just like all of its members. The Neuroi attacks have increased on our mainland, and all the major officers are either off helping the Karsland movement or have gone as far as Fuso for reinforcements."
Finé paused for the moment. With the damage to Britannia and the Witch divisions not available, she needed to play all the cards she had.
"You once tried to entice our country's Einberger Corporation to move to Britannia, didn't you?"
"Eylstadt's manufacturers of precision machinery are very appealing. However, they all staunchly refused to betray the nation and Archduke that brought them this far."
"Of course, they are all very loyal men. Therefore, if they were taken that Britannia has done its best to aid Eylstadt, they would be more than eager to repay you."
"Hmm, that would be very appealing indeed," Lord Redford considered. "But that won't be enough to convince Parliament or the public to take action."
"In that case, what if Eylstadt became the homeland to the heir of the throne, who would later become the wife of Prince Henry? Would Parliament and your nation's people not be willing to send troops to the continent then?"
Finé's best card made even Lord Redford jump in awe.
"You mean…"
"I know I declined before, but I'd like to accept Prince Henry's hand in marriage."
"And give up your claim to the Archduke's throne?"
"My cousin, Leonora, is with child. I will entrust the future of the family to them."
Lord Redford sighed over the impression of the princess's skill on the negotiation table. He staunchly gave his comments to Finé's bold taking to the future of her title.
"Princess, you truly are natural-born girl worthy of your title. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the best interests of your country truly has moved me."
As Finé sighed over how well the negotiations were going, that when Lord Redford's smile when upside down. The sight of Redford's new face gave her a whiplash in the mood.
"However, that just makes this all the more sad."
"What do you mean?"
"Princess, if there was just a little more time...if only you had come a little sooner...then I would have most certainly accepted your offer. But no matter what conditions you propose, it's too late now...we can not help you anymore."
The nearby door slammed open, alerting the stunned princess and Britannian ambassador.
"Princess!"
Hermann was repeatedly shot to death by several bullets. His corpse leaned on the bloodstained door to Finé's horror.
"Hermann!"
The doors then slammed open as Germanian soldiers stormed the balcony. The commander, distinguished by his smug look and golden gun equipped with a silencer, entered the room to see the princess.
"Looks like the Princess is here after all."
Finé smirked as she faced Lord Redford.
"Was this your doing?"
"N-No," Lord Redford shook his head before slumping. "Not that I expect you to believe me."
"The Britannian dog here is out of the question," the Germanian commander set the Britannian aside. "The great Germanian Empire's spy network was simply superior, that is all. We would have shared you the news long before he would."
"What news!?"
"You sure have been far away from your country for too long," the officer stepped towards the princess. "Germanian forces crossed the Eylstadt's borders more than two hours ago. The invasion of your precious little country has already begun!"
Finé gave a glare as the Germanian was inches away from her. He poked his gun at the princess's face as he gave unwelcoming compliments.
"You are beautiful as they say. The Emperor would be pleased when he knows that we took you in."
"What do you intend to do with me?"
"Well, for starters, you shall accompany us on our way back to Neu-Berlin."
Two Germanian soldiers grabbed Finé's arms as they escorted her silently out of the room. The door then closed behind them, leaving only the Britannian noble behind. The whole incident concluded without a single disturbance to the play below. Yet, the man had no time to listen, only pitying what has occurred before the princess and her nation.
In the more deforested areas of Westria, Germanian forces have occupied the nearby airfield. A few Bf-109s by the aircraft hangers were spinning their propellers for their inevitable takeoff. The other side was a column of tanks and supply trucks carrying troops. A couple of black cars were by in front of a few more supply trucks that trailed behind.
Outside of the Germanian-occupied airbase, Alice leaned on the rocks, observing the soldiers loading up on the transport aircraft. Tipler was standing on the rocks to get a closer view. Both of them only had a few trees and bushes approaching in the way to remain hidden.
"So, the Germanians have settled here as well."
"Of course, they do," Alice tried to keep her loudmouth as quiet as possible. "They always have some base even in the middle of neutral territory. How else do they maintain vast control of this European continent without obstruction?"
"And they brought these mechanical giants and flying monsters in here with them."
"Those giants are called tanks, and those flying machines are planes. From what I've read, they look like fighter planes to me."
Tipler only sighed over having to process all that information. Even in this day and age, the world here feels so much more complicated than he can handle.
"You say come from the future and yet you have no idea what a plane or tank is?"
"I come from a very different period, Alice-sama. Please apologize for not knowing much details."
"The future you come from must be awful then."
"Indeed, the world we come is...unsettling. If you wish, I can tell you everything that's at stake-"
"Shh," Alice pointed her finger at his mouth.
"Alice-sama?"
Alice shushed him again as a car stopped nearby. The duo hid behind the rock as they opened their ears for their conversation. They heard the voices of two Germanians leaving their vehicle.
"So the coffin is being transported by air from here?"
Ricket allowed Berkmann to exit on his side as he faced the truck behind them.
"The folks at the workshop tell me that even though it wasn't for long, the fact it was opened means there's no telling what's going to happen later. They recommended that we send it to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible."
"Is it true? That she wiped out an entire military company on her own?"
"I can't tell you. But His Majesty is rather a big fan of the legend, and it was our job to investigate."
Alice raised an eyebrow over the news. Tipler took a quick peek at the two men as Berkman continued.
"Besides, if it were true, wouldn't it be a little...romantic?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind, my mouth slipped for a moment," Berkman shook his head as he faced the transport plane. "In any case, once we have the second cargo here, the plane will be taking off."
"Second cargo?"
"We just got the intel from our nearby contacts. The princess of Eylstadt has been captured. They'll be transporting her onto the same plane as the coffin to Neue-Berlin."
"But why? Wouldn't that be-"
"I'm not sure myself. The fact she opened that coffin will increase the risk in some ways. But if I were to guess, it's to use her use as a coverup if something wrong happened along the way."
"A coverup?"
"By all means, His Majesty demands that should we find the Eylstadt's Witch, then we should make every attempt to capture and transport her as quickly as possible, without anyone noticing its importance. What do you think the reporters would say if they found out we were transporting a little girl of immense power, rather than a princess of a nation that's close to no longer existing?"
"I-I understand."
"We can't drag our feet around here. Besides, our original task is already completed. Since the officers told me that they'd be ready to take off in about two hours, let's make sure we leave before then."
As Berkmann and Rickert went off to another plane, Tipler went closer to Alice while she hid back behind the rock.
"Eylstadt's Witch?"
"Does this surprise you, Alice-sama?"
"Y-Yeah, I never knew that Eylstadt had a Witch. From all the world news I've seen, it's one of the few countries that never enlisted a Witch into their military. Or perhaps, they don't want to."
"This Witch sounds like she is a dangerous threat. Do you think she may have something to do with why Germania is invading?"
"Don't ask me; I'm not the expert in European myths here!"
"Then what about the princess? Could she have something to do with this?"
"I don't think it's that," Alice paused for the moment. As the Bf 109s started to take off, she gave off a mischievous smirk. "Of course, that doesn't mean I mind a little rescue mission..."
"What are you planning to do?"
"You'll see. Simply put, in a few hours, we're gonna save ourselves a little princess…"
Again, sorry for the short chapter. It's just inevitable considering how I organize the larger chapters. The next one is going to be pretty huge since it covers the entire battle for Chapter 2.
Either way, hope enjoyed the short read.
The streets of Albringen were not as bustling as Alice has hoped. By seeing the sign to the capital of Westria, Alice expected something more. That night, she slept on a tree while using Tipler as a pillow, much to his discomfort. She was wanted to get an early start on whatever activities she expected to appear. However, the environment was...disappointing to say the least.
"Agghh, this is frustrating!"
"Alice-sama," Tipler remained hidden in her pack as she walked down an alley.
"I swear that even the tiniest of villages of Liberion always had something going on in the middle of the day. The silence of this place is already giving me a headache!"
"Please, quiet down, Alice-sama. Besides, you must be aware that we're in constant danger no matter where we go. Anyone around could be the enemy."
"I know, I know! Still, the place could be a little livelier than it is."
"I don't think it's that simple," Tipler argued. "The people here are not very comfortable. They're all worried about something. Something they fear will befall upon them, no matter the neutrality."
"You mean like the Neuroi?"
"The Neuroi?"
"Those black objects that are attacking humanity without any reason, or rather they're just incapable of it. The only ones they haven't attacked are those goons up in Germania."
As she finished, several vehicles drove past them as they nearly exited the alleyway. A black car with several trucks behind it had the symbolic diagonal cross with a dagger replacing one of its arms. A Germanian soldier ordered in his respective language to the people at a crosswalk that was blocking the convoy.
"Well, speak of the devil," Alice snarked. "Even in a neutral nation, they act like they are the king of the house."
"They do not sound like good people," Tipler agreed. "I overheard some people talking about them invading a nearby state south of us."
"Eylstadt has always been a nation Germania has hoped to seize for some reason even I don't understand. Why should such a tiny nation be all that important to a mighty empire?"
"Perhaps there's someone or..something that they want?"
"I don't know. It's not like I read any of this place's legends or anything like that! Such things are irrelevant to me."
"Even with the existence of so-called Witches?"
"Yeah, even that!"
"Then, there must be something around that intrigues them. For what I've read on this world's map, Eylstadt borders east of the country. Perhaps they're somehow connected?"
Alice sighed as the Germanian convoy went by and started shrinking in the distance. However, she was more frustrated that their journey- or rather her journey- was getting nowhere. Should this be a time she took a more active approach?
"Well, it's not like staying around here is any better," Alice tightened her fanny pack.
"W-What are you doing, Alice-sama?"
"I think we're going to play a little follow the leader here. We'll just have to follow those cars without them noticing. Hold on!"
Alice then covered her pack, forcing Tipler inside so he didn't fall out. As the Germanian convoy was barely in the distance, Alice went out of the alley, leaning on the nearby walls and trees to secretly pursue.
In the middle of Westria's capital laid a large theatre hall. The Germanic play of Die Zauberflöte was playing in the center of the concert. The audience watched from the main floor and three-story balconies. On the third level of the hall was an old Britannian man who enjoyed the fine scenery around himself as he listened to the villain of the opera. He was then distracted by the door opening beside him.
"Sorry for interrupting your evening."
Finé walked in with a royal purple dress. Lord Redford opened his arms in welcome to the princess of Eylstadt.
"Why, you have become so beautiful! I can see why Prince Henry is quite taken of you. You simply look dazzling, Princess Finé."
"And you're as skilled at flattery as ever, Lord Redford."
"His Highness was moved by the letter you sent," the Britannian man bowed before her. "And how is your father?"
"No need to worry about him. He's slowly recovering and should be fine in a matter of days."
"I see. I was worried when I was told that the Archduke was bedridden, but it seems like I was wrong about him."
"So it seems."
Inside, she sighed as she pulled off what was a lie. Her straight face was enough to appraise the Britannian ambassador before him.
"You're going to be an excellent leader someday."
"I am honored, Lord Redford."
"Now then, shall we get to the discussion?"
Finé walked to the seat across from Lord Redford. As the play continued in the background, the two went straight to the main topic. The Britannian noble started while facing partially away from Finé.
"Now, it pains me to say this, but it will be very difficult to send another expedition to mainland Europe. We suffered heavy losses in our last defeat. The damage in the struggle against the Neuroi was too great."
"What about the special Witch divisions stationed there? Shouldn't the 501st you have established nearby reach our nation without any problem?"
"I'm afraid Marshal Maloney is too busy with such matters, just like all of its members. The Neuroi attacks have increased on our mainland, and all the major officers are either off helping the Karsland movement or have gone as far as Fuso for reinforcements."
Finé paused for the moment. With the damage to Britannia and the Witch divisions not available, she needed to play all the cards she had.
"You once tried to entice our country's Einberger Corporation to move to Britannia, didn't you?"
"Eylstadt's manufacturers of precision machinery are very appealing. However, they all staunchly refused to betray the nation and Archduke that brought them this far."
"Of course, they are all very loyal men. Therefore, if they were taken that Britannia has done its best to aid Eylstadt, they would be more than eager to repay you."
"Hmm, that would be very appealing indeed," Lord Redford considered. "But that won't be enough to convince Parliament or the public to take action."
"In that case, what if Eylstadt became the homeland to the heir of the throne, who would later become the wife of Prince Henry? Would Parliament and your nation's people not be willing to send troops to the continent then?"
Finé's best card made even Lord Redford jump in awe.
"You mean…"
"I know I declined before, but I'd like to accept Prince Henry's hand in marriage."
"And give up your claim to the Archduke's throne?"
"My cousin, Leonora, is with child. I will entrust the future of the family to them."
Lord Redford sighed over the impression of the princess's skill on the negotiation table. He staunchly gave his comments to Finé's bold taking to the future of her title.
"Princess, you truly are natural-born girl worthy of your title. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the best interests of your country truly has moved me."
As Finé sighed over how well the negotiations were going, that when Lord Redford's smile when upside down. The sight of Redford's new face gave her a whiplash in the mood.
"However, that just makes this all the more sad."
"What do you mean?"
"Princess, if there was just a little more time...if only you had come a little sooner...then I would have most certainly accepted your offer. But no matter what conditions you propose, it's too late now...we can not help you anymore."
The nearby door slammed open, alerting the stunned princess and Britannian ambassador.
"Princess!"
Hermann was repeatedly shot to death by several bullets. His corpse leaned on the bloodstained door to Finé's horror.
"Hermann!"
The doors then slammed open as Germanian soldiers stormed the balcony. The commander, distinguished by his smug look and golden gun equipped with a silencer, entered the room to see the princess.
"Looks like the Princess is here after all."
Finé smirked as she faced Lord Redford.
"Was this your doing?"
"N-No," Lord Redford shook his head before slumping. "Not that I expect you to believe me."
"The Britannian dog here is out of the question," the Germanian commander set the Britannian aside. "The great Germanian Empire's spy network was simply superior, that is all. We would have shared you the news long before he would."
"What news!?"
"You sure have been far away from your country for too long," the officer stepped towards the princess. "Germanian forces crossed the Eylstadt's borders more than two hours ago. The invasion of your precious little country has already begun!"
Finé gave a glare as the Germanian was inches away from her. He poked his gun at the princess's face as he gave unwelcoming compliments.
"You are beautiful as they say. The Emperor would be pleased when he knows that we took you in."
"What do you intend to do with me?"
"Well, for starters, you shall accompany us on our way back to Neu-Berlin."
Two Germanian soldiers grabbed Finé's arms as they escorted her silently out of the room. The door then closed behind them, leaving only the Britannian noble behind. The whole incident concluded without a single disturbance to the play below. Yet, the man had no time to listen, only pitying what has occurred before the princess and her nation.
In the more deforested areas of Westria, Germanian forces have occupied the nearby airfield. A few Bf-109s by the aircraft hangers were spinning their propellers for their inevitable takeoff. The other side was a column of tanks and supply trucks carrying troops. A couple of black cars were by in front of a few more supply trucks that trailed behind.
Outside of the Germanian-occupied airbase, Alice leaned on the rocks, observing the soldiers loading up on the transport aircraft. Tipler was standing on the rocks to get a closer view. Both of them only had a few trees and bushes approaching in the way to remain hidden.
"So, the Germanians have settled here as well."
"Of course, they do," Alice tried to keep her loudmouth as quiet as possible. "They always have some base even in the middle of neutral territory. How else do they maintain vast control of this European continent without obstruction?"
"And they brought these mechanical giants and flying monsters in here with them."
"Those giants are called tanks, and those flying machines are planes. From what I've read, they look like fighter planes to me."
Tipler only sighed over having to process all that information. Even in this day and age, the world here feels so much more complicated than he can handle.
"You say come from the future and yet you have no idea what a plane or tank is?"
"I come from a very different period, Alice-sama. Please apologize for not knowing much details."
"The future you come from must be awful then."
"Indeed, the world we come is...unsettling. If you wish, I can tell you everything that's at stake-"
"Shh," Alice pointed her finger at his mouth.
"Alice-sama?"
Alice shushed him again as a car stopped nearby. The duo hid behind the rock as they opened their ears for their conversation. They heard the voices of two Germanians leaving their vehicle.
"So the coffin is being transported by air from here?"
Ricket allowed Berkmann to exit on his side as he faced the truck behind them.
"The folks at the workshop tell me that even though it wasn't for long, the fact it was opened means there's no telling what's going to happen later. They recommended that we send it to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible."
"Is it true? That she wiped out an entire military company on her own?"
"I can't tell you. But His Majesty is rather a big fan of the legend, and it was our job to investigate."
Alice raised an eyebrow over the news. Tipler took a quick peek at the two men as Berkman continued.
"Besides, if it were true, wouldn't it be a little...romantic?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind, my mouth slipped for a moment," Berkman shook his head as he faced the transport plane. "In any case, once we have the second cargo here, the plane will be taking off."
"Second cargo?"
"We just got the intel from our nearby contacts. The princess of Eylstadt has been captured. They'll be transporting her onto the same plane as the coffin to Neue-Berlin."
"But why? Wouldn't that be-"
"I'm not sure myself. The fact she opened that coffin will increase the risk in some ways. But if I were to guess, it's to use her use as a coverup if something wrong happened along the way."
"A coverup?"
"By all means, His Majesty demands that should we find the Eylstadt's Witch, then we should make every attempt to capture and transport her as quickly as possible, without anyone noticing its importance. What do you think the reporters would say if they found out we were transporting a little girl of immense power, rather than a princess of a nation that's close to no longer existing?"
"I-I understand."
"We can't drag our feet around here. Besides, our original task is already completed. Since the officers told me that they'd be ready to take off in about two hours, let's make sure we leave before then."
As Berkmann and Rickert went off to another plane, Tipler went closer to Alice while she hid back behind the rock.
"Eylstadt's Witch?"
"Does this surprise you, Alice-sama?"
"Y-Yeah, I never knew that Eylstadt had a Witch. From all the world news I've seen, it's one of the few countries that never enlisted a Witch into their military. Or perhaps, they don't want to."
"This Witch sounds like she is a dangerous threat. Do you think she may have something to do with why Germania is invading?"
"Don't ask me; I'm not the expert in European myths here!"
"Then what about the princess? Could she have something to do with this?"
"I don't think it's that," Alice paused for the moment. As the Bf 109s started to take off, she gave off a mischievous smirk. "Of course, that doesn't mean I mind a little rescue mission..."
"What are you planning to do?"
"You'll see. Simply put, in a few hours, we're gonna save ourselves a little princess…"
Again, sorry for the short chapter. It's just inevitable considering how I organize the larger chapters. The next one is going to be pretty huge since it covers the entire battle for Chapter 2.
Either way, hope enjoyed the short read.
Episode 2-2
Alright, now it's time for the next section of this chapter. I apologize for it taking this long. Besides class and such, I also had a problem with my computer that erased much of my progress on this story the first time around. But now, all of that's out of the way, and I can focus on this story one chapter at a time. Therefore, you should except my stories to churn a few chapters a week.
In the meantime, I'll be introducing something new in my stories. At the beginning of each chapter, I will share a soundtrack of songs worth listening to while reading the fic. I'll mark on the fic in (BOLD) anything related to the music tracks.
#1- Shuumatsu no Izetta OST- Izetta Theme
Near the border between Westria and Eylstadt were the Alps, a line of mountains beautifully frozen tops and surrounded by forests. The entire region remained harmonious at it had been…until now.
One squadron of Germanian fighter planes flew over the nearby Alps. The leader of the planes had a golden nose and stripes in contrast with the green colors on the ordinary ones. That plane was the one owned by Captain Bassler, who flew across the Alps from the Germanian border.
"Squad leader to all planes. Once we pass the mountains in front of us, we'll be in Eylstadt airspace."
Bassler gave out orders to his fighter squadron as they responded.
"Roger. It's strange why we haven't beaten such a small country at this point in the war. So much for the army and their blitzkrieg, huh?"
The captain ignored the chatter as he focused on the steering. Even the slightest distraction could send him plunging to his death.
Despite that, there was a loud explosion heard from inside the cockpit. It wasn't loud, but it was enough for him to hear it. Worse, it sounded very close.
"What's that? On our 9!"
Bassler kept his cool and remained calm on the steering. He tilted his head to investigate the source of the explosion. From his eyes, several Germanian fighter planes were confronting something. Eylstadt had an air force for certain, but reconnaissance showed no enemy planes. It didn't look like a training exercise either. Besides being too close to enemy borders, they were using live ammunition and did not focus on each other. Rather they opened fire on something else, something smaller than a plane as Bassler could see.
A small spark of fire shot out from an unknown assailant. The next thing he knew, one of the Me-109 fighters burst exploded with a burning fuselage and both wings broken off.
"Whoa, did you just see that!?"
One of the pilots jumped at the sudden battle going on. Even Bassler startled over this sudden attack. He radioed to his entire squadron.
"All planes follow my lead! We are moving to intercept the enemy!"
With that, the Bf 109 planes flew in the direction of the battle, not knowing who or what their opponent was.
Elsewhere, a twin-engine plane was also near the Alps. Unlike most of the Germanian planes that entered Eylstadt territory, this one was only making a small pass about the invaded nation.
Fine remained in between two Germanian soldiers that flanked both sides. The Commander who captured her was the back seat of the cargo section refining his golden gun.
"This plane model isn't as refined as it could be. Please forgive us if the ride is little bumpy. It won't last long."
Fine was less uncomfortable about the ride than her role as a prisoner. To keep her mind off, she observed the equipment within the plane. Most of them were experimental small-arms weapons as big as an anti-tank rifle. But the one that stood out the most was her the human-sized capsule. It was the same capsule she found back on Westria, the one the piqued her interest for some reason.
"Interested in this equipment? These are all important secrets to the Germanian military. In a sense, so are you."
The Germanian officer aimed his gun at the princess, who merely looked away.
"All I ask is a little forgiveness. This isn't the most elegant of decor."
The officer then got out of his seat. He approached the window opposite of Fine and observed the action. Explosions of anti-air bombardment sprinkled the sky as Me-109s and Stuka dive bombers flew overhead. The bombers in question struck various targets on Eylstadt's defensive line, particularly artillery emplacements and anti-air batteries. The tanks and platoons of soldiers continued to press on after that.
"We should be crossing the Eylstadt border right now."
That's when Fine responded.
"And how's the war?"
"They still seem to continue putting up resistance. It's useless. No matter how much they try, it won't be long before they fall."
Fine smirked at the Germanian officer, knowing her people would not give up so easily.
"I'm not so sure about that. My citizens are quite tenacious from what I understand. They won't give up so easily."
The Germanian officer chuckled back as he approached the princess."
"Perhaps not. But they continue their resistance, their beloved princess will perish."
Fine's smug smile immediately turn into a glare. By hearing those words, she figured out what their plan was as the officer continued.
"Tell me, what if they found that their princess has been held prisoner or even executed on Germanian grounds?"
"You're planning to use me as a political hostage!"
"What I'm saying is only hypothetical," the officer continued as he poked his gun that the princess's face. "Besides, you're one gorgeous young lady who's also the princess of Eylstadt. There are other ways we can do to you besides that. Many more other ways."
The princess glared as she tried to look away, especially with the stuck at her face. A few seconds later, something else happened. The shaking was far more intense than normal. It felt like the whole plane was starting to fall. The soldiers and Fine were thrown off the seats as the plane struggled to regain control.
Above the mountainous region, Alice was facing off against three Germanian 109s that circled her. She just took down her second fighter plane, but now found herself surrounded with no idea who will attack next.
"This did not sound like a good idea, Alice-sama!"
Tipler screamed within the pouch. Originally, they planned to trail the plane that carried the princess after she got onboard. Tipler found it fine if they could find a place to ambush them at an appropriate time. What he did not expect next was Alice cruising ahead of the cargo plane. Things got more complicated when she ascended from the forest, which allowed the Germanian planes to spot her easily. And they did, with an entire wing coming after them.
Alice managed to take out one by striking it from the bottom with her explosive punch and striking back against another with her spark-like attack. It was reckless, but she still found herself up to a good start.
"We were going to face the Germanians sooner or later. Why not face them now while we had the chance?"
Tipler groans distracted her from seeing the plane coming from behind. Only the loud noise from the propeller made her turn back and barely avoid the gunfire. With her two hands igniting fire like rockets to propel herself, she managed to keep her body hovering in midair, giving her superior mobility against the Germanian planes.
As the enemy plane passed by, Alice quieted the Murlock in her pouch.
"Just be quiet for now. We'll worry about transport after we take out these planes."
As Alice finished talking, another plane came from her left side. She launched herself upward to avoid the bullets. They were inches away from each other with pilot watching Alice just before shooting another spark of flame. Her attack smashed the plane's tail section off as it plummeted to the ground.
The remaining two planes faced her from opposite sides. Both fired their guns, but Alice quickly sank to avoid the fire. The planes were careful enough not to hit each other should they fail and strafed on opposite sides to avoid a collision.
However, Alice accelerated upward with her power with immense force, pulling the pouch very tightly on her waist with Tipler pressing on her chest. She then stopped her propulsion and drifted in midair. From there, she spun around as gusts of wind manifested around her. The pilots were distracted by her magical ability as she eyed on them as well. She then threw a slash of wind against one of the planes. Despite being made of compressed air, the force was enough to cut through steel just as how it horizontally split the plane in two. She threw another one vertically at the other plane but missed, only to throw another one that hit its nose.
As the last plane plummeted to the ground, Alice rested herself in the air as she reignited her fire abilities to keep herself afloat. She had her doubts, but considering her fight against those Hunterbeasts from before, which were as strong as steel, she had confidence in her ability.
"Well, that was easy enough."
The dizzy Tipler opened the bag and held onto the trimmings to regain his balance. He held onto the outside of the pouch, then back upward when she could see clearly again. Alice now faced in another direction as they heard another plane. This one was different from the noise from its engines, plus it had two of them.
Alice was certain that this was the same plane from before. From what she heard, the Germanians wanted to escort the princess and supposedly dangerous cargo as fast as possible. There was no other fastest way possible other than a straight line between his location and Germania. That was why she was certain that they could easily find again after getting ahead.
"See, I knew we would find it eventually. And we'll be right here when they encounter us."
"Wait a minute, Alice-sama. Something does not feel right."
"What is it?"
Alice eyed on the cargo plane as it suddenly stopped moving. It returned to normal again after a few seconds, but they knew what caused it was not normal. From their point of view, they found many sparkles of green manifesting around the plane, as if something inside was gathering it.
Inside the plane, Fine found herself at gunpoint by the Germanian officer and his men. During the heavy shaking, the soldiers were thrown into the air. Fine used to opportunity to headbutt her opponent and take his gun. However, the officer struck back before she fired. The bullet grazed her arm before the officer tossed her to the side. Fine landed hard by the capsule. When she recovered, she found herself threatened by all three men.
"That's enough! You may be a tomboy, but you're still just a bird in a cage. If you misbehave anymore, we'll snap your neck, and then it will be all over."
"Then do it!"
The Germanian officer laughed over her request.
"You'd really choose death over being a hostage? Is that what a princess who carries the burdens of her people should do?"
Fine raised her arms into the as she declared.
"It's true that it's my people that keep me alive. My life exists because of their love for me. If they've taken up arms and are risking their lives in battle, then I shall fight with them to the last, until the last drop of blood is spilled in the name of my family's honor. For I am Fine, First Princess of Eylstadt and its next archduchess, Ortfiné "Finé" Fredericka von Eylstadt!"
(1)
Before the officer decided to shoot, however, another event happened. Countless sparkles of yellow and green lights manifested and surrounded the inside of the cargo area. They enveloped the entire plane as they converged onto the capsule behind Fine.
The Germanian did not fire as they figured out what was happening. Fine also eyed onto the capsule as began leaking energy and hovered in midair. Then the whole container burst apart, releasing a great light that blinded everyone.
"What!?"
The Germanians covered their eyes from the bright green glow that shone before them. The captive princess also turned around towards the glow, raising her hand to shield her eyes. She found herself too weak. The wound on her arm took its toll, and she kneeled to avoid collapse. But didn't need to cover her eyes, for who she discovered surprise more than anything.
"What….it can't be...Izetta?"
The young red-haired girl in a patient's uniform awoke from her sleep. Her narrow vision searched for whoever called out her name. She swore that it sounded familiar.
"Princess?"
As Fine laid onto the ground, she recalled memories of the girl. The first time she saw her, she chased her little dog to her grandmother's cabin when she saw the same sparkles of light. After following the trial, she peeked by a tree to discover the little girl, dancing around on her broom and playing with inanimate objects that seemed to be levitating around her. The young girl jumped upon noticing Fine.
Those memories put a smile on the princess as she collapsed.
"I must be dreaming...Is it really you...my little…Witch..."
Izetta slowly regained her vision as she discovered Izetta collapsing. She noticed the wound on her arm, which sent her wide awake.
"PRINCESS!"
All the energy converged onto Izetta. The entire inside of the plane flashed as mass amounts of energy were released.
Alice and Tipler froze as they witnessed the cargo plane exploding in mid-air. They noticed energy converging to the inside of the plane, which likely caused the large sphere of explosive energy that split the machine into two.
"What was that!?"
As a being who only knew about Psionics, this was a bizarre occurrence for Tipler. He could not help but ask such a question. The sudden startled even Alice, who was used to seeing strange thing occurring from Witches. But there was also the mention of something dangerous being transported into the cargo bay. If that's the case, then the princess might be in danger.
"I don't know, but we better save our princess before she falls to her death."
"Yes, but…wait, Alice-sama. There's something there."
Tipler eyed on the trail of green sparkles that left the rear section of the plane. It looked like someone was flying…on a rifle no less, and she was descending to the ground.
"Is that…the princess?"
"No, but let's not what to find out. Let's go!"
By that time, Alice cruised down towards the trail of light. She accelerated with her palms while Tipler hind into the pouch and held on.
The trial of sparkles came from Izetta, who grabbed an anti-tank rifle for the plane's cargo. After enveloping the rifle with her magic, she rode on it as if it were a broom and chased after Izetta. She nearly got knocked off a few times to avoid the falling debris. Once she was clear, she made her descent and pursued the wounded princess.
As she approached Fine, she regained consciousness, which showed Izetta that she was alright. The witch turned her rifle to the side as she descended almost as the same speed as her.
"Princess, your hand!"
Izetta reached out to Fine, who in turn raised her own hand. Both were out of range, unable to grab onto each other until the last minute. She pulled the overjoyed princess onto the rifle and into her lap. By then, she decelerated as hard as she could. They were close to a large tree branch that they were set for collision.
However, a large burst of flame came that incinerated the branch. Izetta brought her weaponized broom to a sudden halt, which nearly caused Fine to fall off. The witch grabbed her hand again and pulled her back on to have a steadier hold on the rifle. While Fine leaned on Izetta to recover, much to the witch's luminescent blushing, she raised her head to find her sudden guests.
Instead of Germanian forces, she found a long-haired girl who was shooting fire from her palms to get herself in midair. When she descended enough to move the sun out of the way, she found the blonde girl with an army-green pouch by her waist. While Izetta remained cautious over the new arrivals of whom she never saw before, the girl chuckled in a happy-go-lucky nature.
"Hehehe, it looks like the princess did not need our help after all."
Izetta was still unsure if this girl was her ally or not.
"W-Who are you?"
"Don't worry. We heard that the princess was captured. As someone who wants to be a knight in shining armor herself, how could I refuse?"
"I…"
"Are we okay now, Alice-sama?"
The Tipler came out of the pouch, which surprised Izetta. Fine heard both voices but was too tired to see what was going on. Another thing that Izetta never saw before, a talking rabbit-like creature with floppy ears and speaking a language she could understand.
"What's going on here? Who are you two?"
"We can talk later. For now, let's get out of the woods together, and then we can talk."
As the young witch nodded, she trailed behind the Psionic girl. It was not too close since Izetta wanted to avoid the flames coming from her hands, but enough for them to keep close. Fine wrapped her arms comfortably around Izetta. Despite know the princess, this felt too close that she started to shake.
"Izetta...it's really you…"
Alice turned around to see the two girls interacting with each other. The two were awfully close to one another as Fine.
"Your power is really amazing, and that's what just saved me. Thank you, Izetta."
Izetta's eyes tears as she shook her head.
"I-I'm not worthy of your gratitude!"
"Izetta, look out!"
Alice yelled from afar as she ascended. Izetta snapped her focus back in her direction, where a mountain of the wintery Alps greeted them. The witch panicked as she pulled her rifle upward to avoid a collision. They continue to follow alongside Alice, who's fire abilities were melting the snow underneath her. The Psionic girl ascended a little more to avoid melting the snow, in case the witch and her princess fell off and needed something soft to land.
"Sorry! I was so happy that I wasn't paying attention…"
Alice almost chuckled over the near misfortune between the girls. It's clear that these were gone for some time. But the Murlock in her pouch has a different concern.
"Y-Your...Your Highness!"
Tipler noticed the wound on Fine's arm. Fine noticed how the talking critter in Alice's pouch, but limped forward from the injury. Izetta also noticed the princess's injury herself as her own arm got covered in blood.
"Don't worry about it. Compared to the worst possible outcome, this injury is nothing."
Alice thought otherwise, as did Izetta herself. With the amount of blood loss, she clearly needed some attention. As the passed the mountain, Alice slowed down and started descending onto the ground.
"Let's stop on the ground somewhere. Maybe we can find some place to treat you."
When Alice noticed Izetta not following her, she turned to see the princess pointing upward.
"Wait until we reach the mountain first. There's an Eylstadt fortress up top there."
Just when Alice was about to nod, another disturbance came from behind them. Tipler took cover as Alice peeked behind. A gold-nosed plane passed by the two pairs as they nearly dodged the attack.
"And you forgot to mention the planes!"
Fine turned to Alice after hearing Tipler's warning.
"Friends of yours?"
"Heck, no! These guys were the ones we were fighting to get you!"
"To get me?"
Tipler poked his head out for just a moment as he explained.
"We heard that you and Izetta were in that plane to go this Germania place. Alice-sama suggested that we wait for an ambush, but…"
Alice faced the other planes on her right.
"Looks like we countered a patrol along the way."
Fine glared at the enemy planes as they found themselves surrounded. Alice herself was increasing output on her left hand to keep herself steady while preparing the other for combat.
Captain Bassler circled away from the mountains as he observed the two magical pairs. His pilots conversed with him as they found their sudden assailants.
"Is that the enemy!? Captain, it looks like just a few girls in mid-air, with two flying on a big rifle."
"They sure do. Hold your fire until I give the word."
Alice charged what looked a wind spell as she felts guts of wind circling her right hand. She was not sure if Izetta was capable of combat, although she just downed that plane with an explosion. She turned to the witch and asked.
"Izetta, are you sure can fight…Izetta?"
Alice and Fine noticed Izetta having a large virtual crystal within her own hand. Maybe it was stone of energy, but Alice wasn't sure for herself. In actuality, the stone was Izetta checking the amount of mana in the region.
After seeing the Germanian fighter planes, the witch suffered horrific flashbacks over what happened. Until a few months ago, Izetta lived in a small village within the Galian region. It was one of the only few areas that weren't affected by the Neuroi, perhaps due to little or no human activity. They were a friendly community althought she kept her power a secret from them. But then, the Germanians invaded, displaying the same sigil she recognized. With Galia devastated and Paris falling to the Neuroi, the Germanians took over the unaffected regions and began their conquest. That community of which she lived in suffered the worst, with every man, woman, and child killed in front of her. The last resident, the owner who took her in, was executed right in front of her very eyes. That was the last straw for her as she unleashed her wrath on the Empire before wearing out and being captured by the enemy.
But that won't happen again, not with Fine around. She noticed the large virtual stone at the palm of her hand was throbbing with power, enough for her to fight. She clenched her fist as if she tried grabbing the illusionary stone and turned to Fine.
"Princess, this is going to hurt a bit. Can ask you to endure this a bit more?"
"Izetta, what are you doing?"
Alice wasn't sure what she was planning to do. But Fine was, which startled her.
"But you're not supposed to use your power so recklessly…"
"I believe my grandma would allow me to use my power if it's to protect the things I care about."
What Izetta said was partially a lie. Her grandma warned her never to use her powers at all. If she were to do so, people would find out. Perhaps the moment the Germanians captured was supposed to be a warning of what happened. But none of that mattered anymore. So many lives were lost because she was so inactive, always keep her power to herself. She can't let that happen again.
Grandma...forgive me for disobeying what you just said.
"Izetta?"
Alice remained confused over what happened. But Izetta said nothing as she touched her rifle.
"Here we go."
The witch unexpectedly accelerated past Alice. Now the Psionic girl and her companion were falling behind them.
"Izetta, where are you going!? Izetta, wait up!"
Alice ditched her wind spell to focus on speed. She accelerated with both hands to catch up to the witch. They headed for the snowy regions at the bottom, towards another set of mountains.
The other planes pursued, with two leading in front of Bassler. They opened fire on the girl against his orders.
"You idiots! I told you to hold fire!"
Alice used her extreme mobility to dodge the machinegun fire from the Me 109. She barrel-rolled over the line of fire to the other side of the plane. Afterward, she retaliated with a large spark of flame that impacted the fighters in the nose. The entire fuselage burst into flames as the entire plane came crashing down.
Bassler jerked over the sudden attack. No wonder how such a small target could take down an entire plane squadron. The other squadmate in front of him cursed the same.
"They can do this at over 400 kilometers an hour!? Damn monsters!"
"Don't get so hotheaded, you whelps! Just focus on catching up to them!"
Alice increased her speed once more to catch up to Izetta. At the point, they were already close to the next range of mountains. Alice checked on Tipler, who was still holding onto the pouch as best she can. She then turned to Izetta, who also checked on Fine.
"Are you okay, Princess?"
"When I saw you flying all those years ago, I wanted to fly with you someday. I just never thought it would come true like this."
Her breath is becoming hot…
Fine may be stable for now, but her wound still needed some treatment. There no telling how long she'll last, especially in a cold environment like this.
She turned Alice on her left and called to her.
"Get away from the mountains!"
Alice noticed her fire melting the snow again. She wasn't sure what the witch planned to do, but it surely meant she needed the snow. She complied as she did another barrel roll, making Tipler dizzy within her pouch. She and Izetta luckily avoided another set of gunfire from the enemy planes. Alice responded by slowing down and throw a few more sparks that grazed another plane before breaking its left wing, causing it to crash.
With Alice out of the way, Izetta found herself ready to unleash her powers. The witch bit her finger, then spread the resulting blood onto the snow. Another plane closed in on the two pairs, ready to fire at the witch. As it approached the bloodstains, she shouted as if she were talking to them.
"Come out, now!"
As she pulled a fist of snow, several spikes of ice rose from the mountains and impaled the incoming aircraft. Tipler only got a peek of what happened as he and the stunned Alice watching the plane plummet to the ground and explode.
Alice was so stunned by the phenomena that she almost didn't realize she was going to crash into the mountains. She pushed herself away from the mountain range, although she stopped with enough distance to spare.
The plane next to her wasn't so lucky. The pilot was also shocked by his opponent's power as he failed to see the mountains. Before his plane crashed, he sputtered into the communication channels about the girl being a witch, which Bassler snarled in disgust.
"A Witch? At a time like this?"
As Alice and Tipler stopped by, they noticed Izetta going back towards the enemy planes.
"Did she just-"
"Yes, she used her own blood to destroy that flying monster."
As another squadron of enemy planes came in, they accelerated to catch up to their allies.
Another squadron of planes came at Bassler's one. He and his last squadmate focused on both girls as they turned towards him. Both Bassler and his squadmate fired on the girls, causing both pairs to evade.
"You bitch! I don't know who you girls are, but you are my enemy! I'll cut you both down!"
Alice broke off as Izetta continued to cruise past Bassler. The Psionic girl's new target was the reinforcement squadron that faced her. All of them fired weapons at her, which she promptly evaded. She threw two more sparks at the leading plane; the second one impacted the nose, tearing the left wing off and seeing the engine and cockpit ablaze.
The other four planes dispersed as they circled Alice. The girl faced Izetta rather than the planes after noticing her heading across the mountain pass. Alice chased after the one closest to the witch, which struggled to shake her off. She generated stronger gusts of wind around her hand as she cut the tail of the machine, causing it to spin out of control and crash.
The other three planes pursued Alice and continue to open fire from behind. She jerked left and right to avoid the streams of gunfire while one shot bounced off Izetta rifle to her shock. Alice glared at the planes as she decelerated, letting to the enemy fighters catch up. After she found herself right on top of the planes, she regained speed to match up with them. The pilot of the middle plane looked up as Alice came on top of her. She struck the 109 from the top with a punch, blowing up the machine and breaking it in two.
As she rode on the rear end of the burning wreckage, Alice channeled two more strong gusts of wind from her hands and threw them to destroy the other two planes. She then reignited her hands and chased after Izetta.
Bassler growled at the enemy behind her as he turned his plane to the left. He pulled up as Alice threw another speak at him only to miss. He descended near the surface to avoid another pair of shots, including one the impacted near the front of the plane. After circling behind the girl, he fired another stream of shots, causing the Psionic girl to avoid the shots. He quickly strafed his machine to avoid the incoming wind attack.
With Bassler currently off pursuit, Alice went after Izetta, who spat out more blood. She called upon more spikes to impale two more fighters with multiple spikes as they crashed down onto the ground. Alice regrouped behind her as they moved on. Now that all the planes were seemingly down, they could move onto entering Eylstadt without any pursuers.
Izetta checked with her passenger as they flew over the range.
"Princess, we're just over the mountain!"
Before the group can calm down, Izetta's rifle trembled. It plunged down to the ground as if the witch could no longer control it. There were moments where she could regain flight, only to lose it again. Tipler noticed as he and Alice slowed down close to the pair.
"Izetta-sama, what's wrong?"
"My power!"
Izetta plunged again as she struggled to regain her magic.
"We're falling! I can't pull up!"
The previous plunged coincidentally made her evade gunfire from Bassler, who still tailed the girls.
"You're not getting away!"
He fired another stream of bullets at the girls. Alice avoided the shots and responded with another bladed gust of wind; the gold-nosed plane strafed to avoid it. As it passed by, the Germanian captain responded with another stream of bullets. Alice attempted to evade, but one of the shots grazed her by her left arm.
"Alice-sama!"
Tipler could hear the screams coming from his master. Her life was not in danger, but she could no longer her left arm for combat. She could only use her right arm, and that kept them from falling to the ground. As of now, the Psionic girl was rendered helpless in a fight.
"It's coming this way!"
Izetta and the others faced the 109 that charged at them directly. All but Fine stared at hat looking like their imposing death before the princess intervened. Fine reached for the back of the rifle and pulled the bolt forward. She then pushed it forward, loading the gun with an anti-tank round.
"Point toward it. Straight at it. I won't let you be the only one who stained her hands with blood."
With the rest of her magic, Izetta held the rifle in midair and as steady as possible as she aimed after the plane. Just when Bassler fired a stream of rounds, Izetta pulled the trigger. With explosive force, even Alice and her Murlock friend were thrown backward from the explosive recoil.
Regardless, they avoided the stream of shots as the anti-tank round impacted the propeller engine of Bassler's plane. The 109's engine ground to a halt and now glided in midair. The Captain stared while his plane drifted above the Alps and back into Westrian territory.
"An Eylstadt witch, huh? Impossible…"
As the last Germanian plane vanished behind the mountains, Alice and Tipler sighed in relief. Despite the wounded arm, Alice thought this wasn't too bad for the first time against modern aircraft. On the other hand, the experience nearly scared Tipler half to death. He was just lucky that they were alive.
That could not be said for the same thing as they found Izetta descending again.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!"
"Izetta, what's wrong!"
Alice called out as she descended with her right arm, of which she kept out in front of her. Tipler could see the problem wasn't to do with magic, but with the rifle.
"Her weapon is too hot. She can't control it normally anymore."
"Izetta!"
Alice called out as the pair on the rifle approached the forest. The Psionic girl felt weak herself due to her injuries. The last thing she knew was getting below the two and trying to push them up to avoid their fall with Tipler calling out for her to stop. After landing, like the princess in front of her, her mind went blank.
And, there you have it. The next one should be short since it concludes the end of this scenario, so don't expect too much.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
In the meantime, I'll be introducing something new in my stories. At the beginning of each chapter, I will share a soundtrack of songs worth listening to while reading the fic. I'll mark on the fic in (BOLD) anything related to the music tracks.
#1- Shuumatsu no Izetta OST- Izetta Theme
Near the border between Westria and Eylstadt were the Alps, a line of mountains beautifully frozen tops and surrounded by forests. The entire region remained harmonious at it had been…until now.
One squadron of Germanian fighter planes flew over the nearby Alps. The leader of the planes had a golden nose and stripes in contrast with the green colors on the ordinary ones. That plane was the one owned by Captain Bassler, who flew across the Alps from the Germanian border.
"Squad leader to all planes. Once we pass the mountains in front of us, we'll be in Eylstadt airspace."
Bassler gave out orders to his fighter squadron as they responded.
"Roger. It's strange why we haven't beaten such a small country at this point in the war. So much for the army and their blitzkrieg, huh?"
The captain ignored the chatter as he focused on the steering. Even the slightest distraction could send him plunging to his death.
Despite that, there was a loud explosion heard from inside the cockpit. It wasn't loud, but it was enough for him to hear it. Worse, it sounded very close.
"What's that? On our 9!"
Bassler kept his cool and remained calm on the steering. He tilted his head to investigate the source of the explosion. From his eyes, several Germanian fighter planes were confronting something. Eylstadt had an air force for certain, but reconnaissance showed no enemy planes. It didn't look like a training exercise either. Besides being too close to enemy borders, they were using live ammunition and did not focus on each other. Rather they opened fire on something else, something smaller than a plane as Bassler could see.
A small spark of fire shot out from an unknown assailant. The next thing he knew, one of the Me-109 fighters burst exploded with a burning fuselage and both wings broken off.
"Whoa, did you just see that!?"
One of the pilots jumped at the sudden battle going on. Even Bassler startled over this sudden attack. He radioed to his entire squadron.
"All planes follow my lead! We are moving to intercept the enemy!"
With that, the Bf 109 planes flew in the direction of the battle, not knowing who or what their opponent was.
Elsewhere, a twin-engine plane was also near the Alps. Unlike most of the Germanian planes that entered Eylstadt territory, this one was only making a small pass about the invaded nation.
Fine remained in between two Germanian soldiers that flanked both sides. The Commander who captured her was the back seat of the cargo section refining his golden gun.
"This plane model isn't as refined as it could be. Please forgive us if the ride is little bumpy. It won't last long."
Fine was less uncomfortable about the ride than her role as a prisoner. To keep her mind off, she observed the equipment within the plane. Most of them were experimental small-arms weapons as big as an anti-tank rifle. But the one that stood out the most was her the human-sized capsule. It was the same capsule she found back on Westria, the one the piqued her interest for some reason.
"Interested in this equipment? These are all important secrets to the Germanian military. In a sense, so are you."
The Germanian officer aimed his gun at the princess, who merely looked away.
"All I ask is a little forgiveness. This isn't the most elegant of decor."
The officer then got out of his seat. He approached the window opposite of Fine and observed the action. Explosions of anti-air bombardment sprinkled the sky as Me-109s and Stuka dive bombers flew overhead. The bombers in question struck various targets on Eylstadt's defensive line, particularly artillery emplacements and anti-air batteries. The tanks and platoons of soldiers continued to press on after that.
"We should be crossing the Eylstadt border right now."
That's when Fine responded.
"And how's the war?"
"They still seem to continue putting up resistance. It's useless. No matter how much they try, it won't be long before they fall."
Fine smirked at the Germanian officer, knowing her people would not give up so easily.
"I'm not so sure about that. My citizens are quite tenacious from what I understand. They won't give up so easily."
The Germanian officer chuckled back as he approached the princess."
"Perhaps not. But they continue their resistance, their beloved princess will perish."
Fine's smug smile immediately turn into a glare. By hearing those words, she figured out what their plan was as the officer continued.
"Tell me, what if they found that their princess has been held prisoner or even executed on Germanian grounds?"
"You're planning to use me as a political hostage!"
"What I'm saying is only hypothetical," the officer continued as he poked his gun that the princess's face. "Besides, you're one gorgeous young lady who's also the princess of Eylstadt. There are other ways we can do to you besides that. Many more other ways."
The princess glared as she tried to look away, especially with the stuck at her face. A few seconds later, something else happened. The shaking was far more intense than normal. It felt like the whole plane was starting to fall. The soldiers and Fine were thrown off the seats as the plane struggled to regain control.
Above the mountainous region, Alice was facing off against three Germanian 109s that circled her. She just took down her second fighter plane, but now found herself surrounded with no idea who will attack next.
"This did not sound like a good idea, Alice-sama!"
Tipler screamed within the pouch. Originally, they planned to trail the plane that carried the princess after she got onboard. Tipler found it fine if they could find a place to ambush them at an appropriate time. What he did not expect next was Alice cruising ahead of the cargo plane. Things got more complicated when she ascended from the forest, which allowed the Germanian planes to spot her easily. And they did, with an entire wing coming after them.
Alice managed to take out one by striking it from the bottom with her explosive punch and striking back against another with her spark-like attack. It was reckless, but she still found herself up to a good start.
"We were going to face the Germanians sooner or later. Why not face them now while we had the chance?"
Tipler groans distracted her from seeing the plane coming from behind. Only the loud noise from the propeller made her turn back and barely avoid the gunfire. With her two hands igniting fire like rockets to propel herself, she managed to keep her body hovering in midair, giving her superior mobility against the Germanian planes.
As the enemy plane passed by, Alice quieted the Murlock in her pouch.
"Just be quiet for now. We'll worry about transport after we take out these planes."
As Alice finished talking, another plane came from her left side. She launched herself upward to avoid the bullets. They were inches away from each other with pilot watching Alice just before shooting another spark of flame. Her attack smashed the plane's tail section off as it plummeted to the ground.
The remaining two planes faced her from opposite sides. Both fired their guns, but Alice quickly sank to avoid the fire. The planes were careful enough not to hit each other should they fail and strafed on opposite sides to avoid a collision.
However, Alice accelerated upward with her power with immense force, pulling the pouch very tightly on her waist with Tipler pressing on her chest. She then stopped her propulsion and drifted in midair. From there, she spun around as gusts of wind manifested around her. The pilots were distracted by her magical ability as she eyed on them as well. She then threw a slash of wind against one of the planes. Despite being made of compressed air, the force was enough to cut through steel just as how it horizontally split the plane in two. She threw another one vertically at the other plane but missed, only to throw another one that hit its nose.
As the last plane plummeted to the ground, Alice rested herself in the air as she reignited her fire abilities to keep herself afloat. She had her doubts, but considering her fight against those Hunterbeasts from before, which were as strong as steel, she had confidence in her ability.
"Well, that was easy enough."
The dizzy Tipler opened the bag and held onto the trimmings to regain his balance. He held onto the outside of the pouch, then back upward when she could see clearly again. Alice now faced in another direction as they heard another plane. This one was different from the noise from its engines, plus it had two of them.
Alice was certain that this was the same plane from before. From what she heard, the Germanians wanted to escort the princess and supposedly dangerous cargo as fast as possible. There was no other fastest way possible other than a straight line between his location and Germania. That was why she was certain that they could easily find again after getting ahead.
"See, I knew we would find it eventually. And we'll be right here when they encounter us."
"Wait a minute, Alice-sama. Something does not feel right."
"What is it?"
Alice eyed on the cargo plane as it suddenly stopped moving. It returned to normal again after a few seconds, but they knew what caused it was not normal. From their point of view, they found many sparkles of green manifesting around the plane, as if something inside was gathering it.
Inside the plane, Fine found herself at gunpoint by the Germanian officer and his men. During the heavy shaking, the soldiers were thrown into the air. Fine used to opportunity to headbutt her opponent and take his gun. However, the officer struck back before she fired. The bullet grazed her arm before the officer tossed her to the side. Fine landed hard by the capsule. When she recovered, she found herself threatened by all three men.
"That's enough! You may be a tomboy, but you're still just a bird in a cage. If you misbehave anymore, we'll snap your neck, and then it will be all over."
"Then do it!"
The Germanian officer laughed over her request.
"You'd really choose death over being a hostage? Is that what a princess who carries the burdens of her people should do?"
Fine raised her arms into the as she declared.
"It's true that it's my people that keep me alive. My life exists because of their love for me. If they've taken up arms and are risking their lives in battle, then I shall fight with them to the last, until the last drop of blood is spilled in the name of my family's honor. For I am Fine, First Princess of Eylstadt and its next archduchess, Ortfiné "Finé" Fredericka von Eylstadt!"
(1)
Before the officer decided to shoot, however, another event happened. Countless sparkles of yellow and green lights manifested and surrounded the inside of the cargo area. They enveloped the entire plane as they converged onto the capsule behind Fine.
The Germanian did not fire as they figured out what was happening. Fine also eyed onto the capsule as began leaking energy and hovered in midair. Then the whole container burst apart, releasing a great light that blinded everyone.
"What!?"
The Germanians covered their eyes from the bright green glow that shone before them. The captive princess also turned around towards the glow, raising her hand to shield her eyes. She found herself too weak. The wound on her arm took its toll, and she kneeled to avoid collapse. But didn't need to cover her eyes, for who she discovered surprise more than anything.
"What….it can't be...Izetta?"
The young red-haired girl in a patient's uniform awoke from her sleep. Her narrow vision searched for whoever called out her name. She swore that it sounded familiar.
"Princess?"
As Fine laid onto the ground, she recalled memories of the girl. The first time she saw her, she chased her little dog to her grandmother's cabin when she saw the same sparkles of light. After following the trial, she peeked by a tree to discover the little girl, dancing around on her broom and playing with inanimate objects that seemed to be levitating around her. The young girl jumped upon noticing Fine.
Those memories put a smile on the princess as she collapsed.
"I must be dreaming...Is it really you...my little…Witch..."
Izetta slowly regained her vision as she discovered Izetta collapsing. She noticed the wound on her arm, which sent her wide awake.
"PRINCESS!"
All the energy converged onto Izetta. The entire inside of the plane flashed as mass amounts of energy were released.
Alice and Tipler froze as they witnessed the cargo plane exploding in mid-air. They noticed energy converging to the inside of the plane, which likely caused the large sphere of explosive energy that split the machine into two.
"What was that!?"
As a being who only knew about Psionics, this was a bizarre occurrence for Tipler. He could not help but ask such a question. The sudden startled even Alice, who was used to seeing strange thing occurring from Witches. But there was also the mention of something dangerous being transported into the cargo bay. If that's the case, then the princess might be in danger.
"I don't know, but we better save our princess before she falls to her death."
"Yes, but…wait, Alice-sama. There's something there."
Tipler eyed on the trail of green sparkles that left the rear section of the plane. It looked like someone was flying…on a rifle no less, and she was descending to the ground.
"Is that…the princess?"
"No, but let's not what to find out. Let's go!"
By that time, Alice cruised down towards the trail of light. She accelerated with her palms while Tipler hind into the pouch and held on.
The trial of sparkles came from Izetta, who grabbed an anti-tank rifle for the plane's cargo. After enveloping the rifle with her magic, she rode on it as if it were a broom and chased after Izetta. She nearly got knocked off a few times to avoid the falling debris. Once she was clear, she made her descent and pursued the wounded princess.
As she approached Fine, she regained consciousness, which showed Izetta that she was alright. The witch turned her rifle to the side as she descended almost as the same speed as her.
"Princess, your hand!"
Izetta reached out to Fine, who in turn raised her own hand. Both were out of range, unable to grab onto each other until the last minute. She pulled the overjoyed princess onto the rifle and into her lap. By then, she decelerated as hard as she could. They were close to a large tree branch that they were set for collision.
However, a large burst of flame came that incinerated the branch. Izetta brought her weaponized broom to a sudden halt, which nearly caused Fine to fall off. The witch grabbed her hand again and pulled her back on to have a steadier hold on the rifle. While Fine leaned on Izetta to recover, much to the witch's luminescent blushing, she raised her head to find her sudden guests.
Instead of Germanian forces, she found a long-haired girl who was shooting fire from her palms to get herself in midair. When she descended enough to move the sun out of the way, she found the blonde girl with an army-green pouch by her waist. While Izetta remained cautious over the new arrivals of whom she never saw before, the girl chuckled in a happy-go-lucky nature.
"Hehehe, it looks like the princess did not need our help after all."
Izetta was still unsure if this girl was her ally or not.
"W-Who are you?"
"Don't worry. We heard that the princess was captured. As someone who wants to be a knight in shining armor herself, how could I refuse?"
"I…"
"Are we okay now, Alice-sama?"
The Tipler came out of the pouch, which surprised Izetta. Fine heard both voices but was too tired to see what was going on. Another thing that Izetta never saw before, a talking rabbit-like creature with floppy ears and speaking a language she could understand.
"What's going on here? Who are you two?"
"We can talk later. For now, let's get out of the woods together, and then we can talk."
As the young witch nodded, she trailed behind the Psionic girl. It was not too close since Izetta wanted to avoid the flames coming from her hands, but enough for them to keep close. Fine wrapped her arms comfortably around Izetta. Despite know the princess, this felt too close that she started to shake.
"Izetta...it's really you…"
Alice turned around to see the two girls interacting with each other. The two were awfully close to one another as Fine.
"Your power is really amazing, and that's what just saved me. Thank you, Izetta."
Izetta's eyes tears as she shook her head.
"I-I'm not worthy of your gratitude!"
"Izetta, look out!"
Alice yelled from afar as she ascended. Izetta snapped her focus back in her direction, where a mountain of the wintery Alps greeted them. The witch panicked as she pulled her rifle upward to avoid a collision. They continue to follow alongside Alice, who's fire abilities were melting the snow underneath her. The Psionic girl ascended a little more to avoid melting the snow, in case the witch and her princess fell off and needed something soft to land.
"Sorry! I was so happy that I wasn't paying attention…"
Alice almost chuckled over the near misfortune between the girls. It's clear that these were gone for some time. But the Murlock in her pouch has a different concern.
"Y-Your...Your Highness!"
Tipler noticed the wound on Fine's arm. Fine noticed how the talking critter in Alice's pouch, but limped forward from the injury. Izetta also noticed the princess's injury herself as her own arm got covered in blood.
"Don't worry about it. Compared to the worst possible outcome, this injury is nothing."
Alice thought otherwise, as did Izetta herself. With the amount of blood loss, she clearly needed some attention. As the passed the mountain, Alice slowed down and started descending onto the ground.
"Let's stop on the ground somewhere. Maybe we can find some place to treat you."
When Alice noticed Izetta not following her, she turned to see the princess pointing upward.
"Wait until we reach the mountain first. There's an Eylstadt fortress up top there."
Just when Alice was about to nod, another disturbance came from behind them. Tipler took cover as Alice peeked behind. A gold-nosed plane passed by the two pairs as they nearly dodged the attack.
"And you forgot to mention the planes!"
Fine turned to Alice after hearing Tipler's warning.
"Friends of yours?"
"Heck, no! These guys were the ones we were fighting to get you!"
"To get me?"
Tipler poked his head out for just a moment as he explained.
"We heard that you and Izetta were in that plane to go this Germania place. Alice-sama suggested that we wait for an ambush, but…"
Alice faced the other planes on her right.
"Looks like we countered a patrol along the way."
Fine glared at the enemy planes as they found themselves surrounded. Alice herself was increasing output on her left hand to keep herself steady while preparing the other for combat.
Captain Bassler circled away from the mountains as he observed the two magical pairs. His pilots conversed with him as they found their sudden assailants.
"Is that the enemy!? Captain, it looks like just a few girls in mid-air, with two flying on a big rifle."
"They sure do. Hold your fire until I give the word."
Alice charged what looked a wind spell as she felts guts of wind circling her right hand. She was not sure if Izetta was capable of combat, although she just downed that plane with an explosion. She turned to the witch and asked.
"Izetta, are you sure can fight…Izetta?"
Alice and Fine noticed Izetta having a large virtual crystal within her own hand. Maybe it was stone of energy, but Alice wasn't sure for herself. In actuality, the stone was Izetta checking the amount of mana in the region.
After seeing the Germanian fighter planes, the witch suffered horrific flashbacks over what happened. Until a few months ago, Izetta lived in a small village within the Galian region. It was one of the only few areas that weren't affected by the Neuroi, perhaps due to little or no human activity. They were a friendly community althought she kept her power a secret from them. But then, the Germanians invaded, displaying the same sigil she recognized. With Galia devastated and Paris falling to the Neuroi, the Germanians took over the unaffected regions and began their conquest. That community of which she lived in suffered the worst, with every man, woman, and child killed in front of her. The last resident, the owner who took her in, was executed right in front of her very eyes. That was the last straw for her as she unleashed her wrath on the Empire before wearing out and being captured by the enemy.
But that won't happen again, not with Fine around. She noticed the large virtual stone at the palm of her hand was throbbing with power, enough for her to fight. She clenched her fist as if she tried grabbing the illusionary stone and turned to Fine.
"Princess, this is going to hurt a bit. Can ask you to endure this a bit more?"
"Izetta, what are you doing?"
Alice wasn't sure what she was planning to do. But Fine was, which startled her.
"But you're not supposed to use your power so recklessly…"
"I believe my grandma would allow me to use my power if it's to protect the things I care about."
What Izetta said was partially a lie. Her grandma warned her never to use her powers at all. If she were to do so, people would find out. Perhaps the moment the Germanians captured was supposed to be a warning of what happened. But none of that mattered anymore. So many lives were lost because she was so inactive, always keep her power to herself. She can't let that happen again.
Grandma...forgive me for disobeying what you just said.
"Izetta?"
Alice remained confused over what happened. But Izetta said nothing as she touched her rifle.
"Here we go."
The witch unexpectedly accelerated past Alice. Now the Psionic girl and her companion were falling behind them.
"Izetta, where are you going!? Izetta, wait up!"
Alice ditched her wind spell to focus on speed. She accelerated with both hands to catch up to the witch. They headed for the snowy regions at the bottom, towards another set of mountains.
The other planes pursued, with two leading in front of Bassler. They opened fire on the girl against his orders.
"You idiots! I told you to hold fire!"
Alice used her extreme mobility to dodge the machinegun fire from the Me 109. She barrel-rolled over the line of fire to the other side of the plane. Afterward, she retaliated with a large spark of flame that impacted the fighters in the nose. The entire fuselage burst into flames as the entire plane came crashing down.
Bassler jerked over the sudden attack. No wonder how such a small target could take down an entire plane squadron. The other squadmate in front of him cursed the same.
"They can do this at over 400 kilometers an hour!? Damn monsters!"
"Don't get so hotheaded, you whelps! Just focus on catching up to them!"
Alice increased her speed once more to catch up to Izetta. At the point, they were already close to the next range of mountains. Alice checked on Tipler, who was still holding onto the pouch as best she can. She then turned to Izetta, who also checked on Fine.
"Are you okay, Princess?"
"When I saw you flying all those years ago, I wanted to fly with you someday. I just never thought it would come true like this."
Her breath is becoming hot…
Fine may be stable for now, but her wound still needed some treatment. There no telling how long she'll last, especially in a cold environment like this.
She turned Alice on her left and called to her.
"Get away from the mountains!"
Alice noticed her fire melting the snow again. She wasn't sure what the witch planned to do, but it surely meant she needed the snow. She complied as she did another barrel roll, making Tipler dizzy within her pouch. She and Izetta luckily avoided another set of gunfire from the enemy planes. Alice responded by slowing down and throw a few more sparks that grazed another plane before breaking its left wing, causing it to crash.
With Alice out of the way, Izetta found herself ready to unleash her powers. The witch bit her finger, then spread the resulting blood onto the snow. Another plane closed in on the two pairs, ready to fire at the witch. As it approached the bloodstains, she shouted as if she were talking to them.
"Come out, now!"
As she pulled a fist of snow, several spikes of ice rose from the mountains and impaled the incoming aircraft. Tipler only got a peek of what happened as he and the stunned Alice watching the plane plummet to the ground and explode.
Alice was so stunned by the phenomena that she almost didn't realize she was going to crash into the mountains. She pushed herself away from the mountain range, although she stopped with enough distance to spare.
The plane next to her wasn't so lucky. The pilot was also shocked by his opponent's power as he failed to see the mountains. Before his plane crashed, he sputtered into the communication channels about the girl being a witch, which Bassler snarled in disgust.
"A Witch? At a time like this?"
As Alice and Tipler stopped by, they noticed Izetta going back towards the enemy planes.
"Did she just-"
"Yes, she used her own blood to destroy that flying monster."
As another squadron of enemy planes came in, they accelerated to catch up to their allies.
Another squadron of planes came at Bassler's one. He and his last squadmate focused on both girls as they turned towards him. Both Bassler and his squadmate fired on the girls, causing both pairs to evade.
"You bitch! I don't know who you girls are, but you are my enemy! I'll cut you both down!"
Alice broke off as Izetta continued to cruise past Bassler. The Psionic girl's new target was the reinforcement squadron that faced her. All of them fired weapons at her, which she promptly evaded. She threw two more sparks at the leading plane; the second one impacted the nose, tearing the left wing off and seeing the engine and cockpit ablaze.
The other four planes dispersed as they circled Alice. The girl faced Izetta rather than the planes after noticing her heading across the mountain pass. Alice chased after the one closest to the witch, which struggled to shake her off. She generated stronger gusts of wind around her hand as she cut the tail of the machine, causing it to spin out of control and crash.
The other three planes pursued Alice and continue to open fire from behind. She jerked left and right to avoid the streams of gunfire while one shot bounced off Izetta rifle to her shock. Alice glared at the planes as she decelerated, letting to the enemy fighters catch up. After she found herself right on top of the planes, she regained speed to match up with them. The pilot of the middle plane looked up as Alice came on top of her. She struck the 109 from the top with a punch, blowing up the machine and breaking it in two.
As she rode on the rear end of the burning wreckage, Alice channeled two more strong gusts of wind from her hands and threw them to destroy the other two planes. She then reignited her hands and chased after Izetta.
Bassler growled at the enemy behind her as he turned his plane to the left. He pulled up as Alice threw another speak at him only to miss. He descended near the surface to avoid another pair of shots, including one the impacted near the front of the plane. After circling behind the girl, he fired another stream of shots, causing the Psionic girl to avoid the shots. He quickly strafed his machine to avoid the incoming wind attack.
With Bassler currently off pursuit, Alice went after Izetta, who spat out more blood. She called upon more spikes to impale two more fighters with multiple spikes as they crashed down onto the ground. Alice regrouped behind her as they moved on. Now that all the planes were seemingly down, they could move onto entering Eylstadt without any pursuers.
Izetta checked with her passenger as they flew over the range.
"Princess, we're just over the mountain!"
Before the group can calm down, Izetta's rifle trembled. It plunged down to the ground as if the witch could no longer control it. There were moments where she could regain flight, only to lose it again. Tipler noticed as he and Alice slowed down close to the pair.
"Izetta-sama, what's wrong?"
"My power!"
Izetta plunged again as she struggled to regain her magic.
"We're falling! I can't pull up!"
The previous plunged coincidentally made her evade gunfire from Bassler, who still tailed the girls.
"You're not getting away!"
He fired another stream of bullets at the girls. Alice avoided the shots and responded with another bladed gust of wind; the gold-nosed plane strafed to avoid it. As it passed by, the Germanian captain responded with another stream of bullets. Alice attempted to evade, but one of the shots grazed her by her left arm.
"Alice-sama!"
Tipler could hear the screams coming from his master. Her life was not in danger, but she could no longer her left arm for combat. She could only use her right arm, and that kept them from falling to the ground. As of now, the Psionic girl was rendered helpless in a fight.
"It's coming this way!"
Izetta and the others faced the 109 that charged at them directly. All but Fine stared at hat looking like their imposing death before the princess intervened. Fine reached for the back of the rifle and pulled the bolt forward. She then pushed it forward, loading the gun with an anti-tank round.
"Point toward it. Straight at it. I won't let you be the only one who stained her hands with blood."
With the rest of her magic, Izetta held the rifle in midair and as steady as possible as she aimed after the plane. Just when Bassler fired a stream of rounds, Izetta pulled the trigger. With explosive force, even Alice and her Murlock friend were thrown backward from the explosive recoil.
Regardless, they avoided the stream of shots as the anti-tank round impacted the propeller engine of Bassler's plane. The 109's engine ground to a halt and now glided in midair. The Captain stared while his plane drifted above the Alps and back into Westrian territory.
"An Eylstadt witch, huh? Impossible…"
As the last Germanian plane vanished behind the mountains, Alice and Tipler sighed in relief. Despite the wounded arm, Alice thought this wasn't too bad for the first time against modern aircraft. On the other hand, the experience nearly scared Tipler half to death. He was just lucky that they were alive.
That could not be said for the same thing as they found Izetta descending again.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!"
"Izetta, what's wrong!"
Alice called out as she descended with her right arm, of which she kept out in front of her. Tipler could see the problem wasn't to do with magic, but with the rifle.
"Her weapon is too hot. She can't control it normally anymore."
"Izetta!"
Alice called out as the pair on the rifle approached the forest. The Psionic girl felt weak herself due to her injuries. The last thing she knew was getting below the two and trying to push them up to avoid their fall with Tipler calling out for her to stop. After landing, like the princess in front of her, her mind went blank.
And, there you have it. The next one should be short since it concludes the end of this scenario, so don't expect too much.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Episode 2-3
And the conclusion of Episode 2. Again, not so much.
Fine found herself in a dream. A dream of childhood memories.
As a young girl, she chased her young dog through the forest to her grandmother's cabin. In the middle of their journey, however, they came across sparkles of light that engulfed the forest. Following the speckles of light was a beautiful singing voice that sounded like a young girl. The intrigued princess and her dog broke off to investigate the source of where it all originated.
That was the first time she met Izetta, dancing over a stream. She played around by a dock and twirled around on her broom. The young witch then noticed Fine watching, causing her to panic and nearly fall off her broom. Her magic eventually went away, and she started descending into the stream.
Fine reacted by running on the dock and jumping onto the nearby rowboat. She caught Izetta before falling into the river, but not for very long. The witch was already too heavy to carry, and she ended up pulled into the stream along with Izetta. Her dog also launched into the water.
Izetta acted like she wanted to apologize, but Fine only laughed as if it were no big deal.
"We both got wet. Sorry about that."
Fine's laugh made Izetta gaze at her in awe.
"Say, are you a witch?"
"Um, no…"
"You can't fool me! They say that witches are fairy tales, and even if they exist, they're always depicted as bad people who made a deal with the devil. But things have changed, and everyone knows they're real. And I believe that Weisse Hexe, the clan of the legendary White Witch, also existed!
Izetta wasn't sure what to say.
"You're…not scared."
"Of course not! You looked so pretty back there! If you can do something like that, then that means you're a very benevolent witch! Right…"
Before she could finish her question, she ended up sneezing. Izetta and her dog sneezed afterward, which made both girls laugh.
It wasn't long before the two got out and hung their clothes somewhere for them to dry. Even though they did not completely know each other at the time, it was the start of a relationship that burned into their heart of the rest of their lives.
As a young girl, she chased her young dog through the forest to her grandmother's cabin. In the middle of their journey, however, they came across sparkles of light that engulfed the forest. Following the speckles of light was a beautiful singing voice that sounded like a young girl. The intrigued princess and her dog broke off to investigate the source of where it all originated.
That was the first time she met Izetta, dancing over a stream. She played around by a dock and twirled around on her broom. The young witch then noticed Fine watching, causing her to panic and nearly fall off her broom. Her magic eventually went away, and she started descending into the stream.
Fine reacted by running on the dock and jumping onto the nearby rowboat. She caught Izetta before falling into the river, but not for very long. The witch was already too heavy to carry, and she ended up pulled into the stream along with Izetta. Her dog also launched into the water.
Izetta acted like she wanted to apologize, but Fine only laughed as if it were no big deal.
"We both got wet. Sorry about that."
Fine's laugh made Izetta gaze at her in awe.
"Say, are you a witch?"
"Um, no…"
"You can't fool me! They say that witches are fairy tales, and even if they exist, they're always depicted as bad people who made a deal with the devil. But things have changed, and everyone knows they're real. And I believe that Weisse Hexe, the clan of the legendary White Witch, also existed!
Izetta wasn't sure what to say.
"You're…not scared."
"Of course not! You looked so pretty back there! If you can do something like that, then that means you're a very benevolent witch! Right…"
Before she could finish her question, she ended up sneezing. Izetta and her dog sneezed afterward, which made both girls laugh.
It wasn't long before the two got out and hung their clothes somewhere for them to dry. Even though they did not completely know each other at the time, it was the start of a relationship that burned into their heart of the rest of their lives.
The princess of Eylstadt opened her eyes as the dream passed. She was in the middle of a blue tent with a hanging lamp over her head. On her left was Alice, who had stitches on her left arm to cover the wound. Tipler stood beside her as he observed the princess standing up. She limped for a moment due to the injury on her arm, but that keep her lying down.
Izetta stood on her right side. Water flowed within her eyes, which only increased when the princess woke up.
"Princess? Princess!"
"Izetta…"
The witch stretched her upper body across Fine's lap. She hugged the princess as tightly as she could while Alice chuckled in front of her.
"Princess…"
Tipler could sigh in relief. He was getting tired of seeing the worried
"Sweet Vilag, I never thought you would wake up. She was worried about you when they took you in."
Fine observed her surroundings. She found a bunch of medical equipment within the tent. But she didn't find any emblems representing its nationality, only its light blue colors that represented her homeland.
"Where are we?"
Alice explained to her.
"We're in a military camp set up by Eylstadt. After that battle, we crashed into the ground. You lost consciousness just as I did, but Izetta found a troop of soldiers on the way. They carried us both on stretchers while Tipler hid in your bag."
Tipler eyed downward. Considering the surprise from Izetta and Fine, there was no telling what might happen if a bunch of soldiers found his existence.
"After that, they set up this tent and treated you. Considering your title of royalty, the doctors treated you as their priority. Then, they went ahead and treated us."
Alice eyed on Izetta's stitched legs while she patted on her arm, which still hurt for the moment. Tipler also joined in on the conversation.
"They said the bullet grazed your arm, but there were no other wounds."
"You can thank your witch friend here for patching you up."
Alice turned to Izetta as did the others. They found the witch blushing as her eyes continued to tear.
"S-Sorry, Princess! It was the best I could do!"
Fine chuckled over the young girl's attempt to seek help. However, she was not the only one she should thank. There were also these two guests, especially the one who also had a wounded arm from the previous battle.
"What about you? Your arm…"
"Don't worry about it. I only receive a graze on my left arm myself. No biggie!"
"But the doctor said, you also suffered so much blood loss…"
"I said, no biggie!"
Alice denied Tipler's complaints as she patted her arm, only to limp when she patted it too hard. She was left comforting the wound as Tipler edged closer to her. The mystery behind these two still lingered in Fine's mind.
"Forgive for not asking until now, but who are you two? What nation do you come from?"
Tipler was too hesitant to talk while Alice responded pride and her healthy arm on her chest.
"I am Alice Alcubierre! And this little guy here is Tipler. He is my pet companion was summoned to accompany me! And we're here to save the world!"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Fine."
Fine eyed on the little rabbit creature. Indeed, he was an odd one. He looked like a rabbit thanks to his large eyes, feet, and floppy ears. However, he still had small fingers like that of a human. There's also the fact he could understand and speak a human language right here in the room. He was a unique creature, so unique that it gave her a worrying thought. Who knows what will happen if they found him? But Alice didn't seem to mind.
"Don't worry; the Eylstadt troops don't know about him yet. Nor do they know about our power."
Tipler then went to the edge of the bed. He wanted to reach the other bed where Fine laid.
"When the doctors examined your body, I heard them talking about an old would you had."
Alice used her arms to carry the furry creature to Fine, who lifted her shirt. The very mention of the wound startled Izetta as well as the princess. Alice took a look at the wound herself, which was burning scar on her hip. Fine covered the scar with her hand."
"It's an old wound from long ago. It's nothing to concern you."
But Alice saw otherwise as Izetta's tears built up once again in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, princess…"
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."
"No, it's all my fault!"
Izetta hugged Fine as Alice and Tipler observed. They both came to the same conclusion that these girls have had a much deeper and scarring relationship than they once thought. Perhaps when they have the time, they should ask her for more.
Izetta stood on her right side. Water flowed within her eyes, which only increased when the princess woke up.
"Princess? Princess!"
"Izetta…"
The witch stretched her upper body across Fine's lap. She hugged the princess as tightly as she could while Alice chuckled in front of her.
"Princess…"
Tipler could sigh in relief. He was getting tired of seeing the worried
"Sweet Vilag, I never thought you would wake up. She was worried about you when they took you in."
Fine observed her surroundings. She found a bunch of medical equipment within the tent. But she didn't find any emblems representing its nationality, only its light blue colors that represented her homeland.
"Where are we?"
Alice explained to her.
"We're in a military camp set up by Eylstadt. After that battle, we crashed into the ground. You lost consciousness just as I did, but Izetta found a troop of soldiers on the way. They carried us both on stretchers while Tipler hid in your bag."
Tipler eyed downward. Considering the surprise from Izetta and Fine, there was no telling what might happen if a bunch of soldiers found his existence.
"After that, they set up this tent and treated you. Considering your title of royalty, the doctors treated you as their priority. Then, they went ahead and treated us."
Alice eyed on Izetta's stitched legs while she patted on her arm, which still hurt for the moment. Tipler also joined in on the conversation.
"They said the bullet grazed your arm, but there were no other wounds."
"You can thank your witch friend here for patching you up."
Alice turned to Izetta as did the others. They found the witch blushing as her eyes continued to tear.
"S-Sorry, Princess! It was the best I could do!"
Fine chuckled over the young girl's attempt to seek help. However, she was not the only one she should thank. There were also these two guests, especially the one who also had a wounded arm from the previous battle.
"What about you? Your arm…"
"Don't worry about it. I only receive a graze on my left arm myself. No biggie!"
"But the doctor said, you also suffered so much blood loss…"
"I said, no biggie!"
Alice denied Tipler's complaints as she patted her arm, only to limp when she patted it too hard. She was left comforting the wound as Tipler edged closer to her. The mystery behind these two still lingered in Fine's mind.
"Forgive for not asking until now, but who are you two? What nation do you come from?"
Tipler was too hesitant to talk while Alice responded pride and her healthy arm on her chest.
"I am Alice Alcubierre! And this little guy here is Tipler. He is my pet companion was summoned to accompany me! And we're here to save the world!"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Fine."
Fine eyed on the little rabbit creature. Indeed, he was an odd one. He looked like a rabbit thanks to his large eyes, feet, and floppy ears. However, he still had small fingers like that of a human. There's also the fact he could understand and speak a human language right here in the room. He was a unique creature, so unique that it gave her a worrying thought. Who knows what will happen if they found him? But Alice didn't seem to mind.
"Don't worry; the Eylstadt troops don't know about him yet. Nor do they know about our power."
Tipler then went to the edge of the bed. He wanted to reach the other bed where Fine laid.
"When the doctors examined your body, I heard them talking about an old would you had."
Alice used her arms to carry the furry creature to Fine, who lifted her shirt. The very mention of the wound startled Izetta as well as the princess. Alice took a look at the wound herself, which was burning scar on her hip. Fine covered the scar with her hand."
"It's an old wound from long ago. It's nothing to concern you."
But Alice saw otherwise as Izetta's tears built up once again in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, princess…"
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."
"No, it's all my fault!"
Izetta hugged Fine as Alice and Tipler observed. They both came to the same conclusion that these girls have had a much deeper and scarring relationship than they once thought. Perhaps when they have the time, they should ask her for more.
Landsbruck, the capital of Eylstadt…
It used to be a quiet city bustling with civilian activity. Now, it was all quiet with Renault tanks and soldiers digging up trenches. Many white blimps tethered to the ground protected the city from air attack, specifically dive bombers that may try to make a quick strike on the capital.
Within the palace, Archduke Rudolph who ruled the lands was bedridden within his private quarters. A few maids and his most trusted officials surrounded him to report the news. As of now, the situation was already hopeless for them.
"I never thought that I'd see Landsbruck's sky covered in so many barrage balloons. And now, Fort Schweizen has fallen…"
General Schneider, a senior man in the same light blue clothes as the rest of the nation's military, was the one who reported the news. He displayed the current plans and the enemies whereabouts on the map.
"I'm afraid so…"
"What happened to the fortress's men?"
"A suicide squad valiantly succeeded in bringing down Bergen Bridge. We were told that the survivors escaped. Unfortunately, there weren't many."
"I expected them to make a swift strike against the capital, but they came from the west instead?"
"Damn Germanians and their feints!"
Schneider also cursed how the Germanians toyed with the nation. Even though the Empire had a total advantage, they still resorted to deception against their enemy. Regardless, the general was trying to make light of the situation.
"However, the Germanian's cowardly tactics would only raise morale upon the troops. Together, they have set up defensive lines at Coenenberg and prepared to repel the enemy invaders. Moreover, their sudden attack allowed us to get in contact with the Karsland resistance forces within the Germanian homeland."
"Karsland, huh?"
"We already received word that they would aid us in defending our borders. They even have Witches backing us up to defend the city, from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing no less! Together with our might, we'll show those cowardly Imperials a thing or two!"
But one of the officials quickly objected to that. It was the top aide to the Archduke, Sieghart Muller.
"The Germanians are not a foe that can be defeated with mere shouting and morale. And their vast technological superiority and numbers outstrip our own, even with the Karsland rebels on our side, General Schneider."
"What did you say!?"
Rudolph raised his hand to prevent any more argument. He focused on another matter entirely.
"Sieg Muller, has there been any word from Fine?"
"No, none as of yet."
Muller shared the Archduke's deep concerns. Eylstadt was on the verge of defeat and Fine was nowhere to be found. The last time he knew about the princess was her trip to Westria to negotiate with Britannia to provide support. However, even with the sudden help from Karsland and soldiers from 501st Joint Fighter Wing, they knew much of their efforts were in vain.
"At this point, even I would be willing to seek help from the Witch in the fairy tale."
He started at a painting that depicted a beautiful woman in a white dress, who held a rod that looked powerful enough to terrify foes. That was the symbol of the White Witch.
"Weisse Hexe…a Witch among Witches…"
Rudolph knew the story well for it was how the Duchy of Eylstadt lasted for so long. Right now, it was just a legend passed down through many generations and a folktale by the Witch clans who showed themselves to the world when the Neuroi attacked.
"It's hopeless. Even in an age where Witches are accepted, and the legend was true, politics and traditions have changed. Not even the legendary clan they idolize will save us…"
The Archduke coughed hard in the middle of his speech. His maids approached to check on him, but he waved them away.
"Your Excellency!"
"Please leave…Get me my bag at once…After that, I'd like to be alone…"
The maids and several of the officials rushed out. Muller was one of the few who stayed behind to watch over the Archduke. He walked towards the painting of the White Witch as he thought to himself.
It used to be a quiet city bustling with civilian activity. Now, it was all quiet with Renault tanks and soldiers digging up trenches. Many white blimps tethered to the ground protected the city from air attack, specifically dive bombers that may try to make a quick strike on the capital.
Within the palace, Archduke Rudolph who ruled the lands was bedridden within his private quarters. A few maids and his most trusted officials surrounded him to report the news. As of now, the situation was already hopeless for them.
"I never thought that I'd see Landsbruck's sky covered in so many barrage balloons. And now, Fort Schweizen has fallen…"
General Schneider, a senior man in the same light blue clothes as the rest of the nation's military, was the one who reported the news. He displayed the current plans and the enemies whereabouts on the map.
"I'm afraid so…"
"What happened to the fortress's men?"
"A suicide squad valiantly succeeded in bringing down Bergen Bridge. We were told that the survivors escaped. Unfortunately, there weren't many."
"I expected them to make a swift strike against the capital, but they came from the west instead?"
"Damn Germanians and their feints!"
Schneider also cursed how the Germanians toyed with the nation. Even though the Empire had a total advantage, they still resorted to deception against their enemy. Regardless, the general was trying to make light of the situation.
"However, the Germanian's cowardly tactics would only raise morale upon the troops. Together, they have set up defensive lines at Coenenberg and prepared to repel the enemy invaders. Moreover, their sudden attack allowed us to get in contact with the Karsland resistance forces within the Germanian homeland."
"Karsland, huh?"
"We already received word that they would aid us in defending our borders. They even have Witches backing us up to defend the city, from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing no less! Together with our might, we'll show those cowardly Imperials a thing or two!"
But one of the officials quickly objected to that. It was the top aide to the Archduke, Sieghart Muller.
"The Germanians are not a foe that can be defeated with mere shouting and morale. And their vast technological superiority and numbers outstrip our own, even with the Karsland rebels on our side, General Schneider."
"What did you say!?"
Rudolph raised his hand to prevent any more argument. He focused on another matter entirely.
"Sieg Muller, has there been any word from Fine?"
"No, none as of yet."
Muller shared the Archduke's deep concerns. Eylstadt was on the verge of defeat and Fine was nowhere to be found. The last time he knew about the princess was her trip to Westria to negotiate with Britannia to provide support. However, even with the sudden help from Karsland and soldiers from 501st Joint Fighter Wing, they knew much of their efforts were in vain.
"At this point, even I would be willing to seek help from the Witch in the fairy tale."
He started at a painting that depicted a beautiful woman in a white dress, who held a rod that looked powerful enough to terrify foes. That was the symbol of the White Witch.
"Weisse Hexe…a Witch among Witches…"
Rudolph knew the story well for it was how the Duchy of Eylstadt lasted for so long. Right now, it was just a legend passed down through many generations and a folktale by the Witch clans who showed themselves to the world when the Neuroi attacked.
"It's hopeless. Even in an age where Witches are accepted, and the legend was true, politics and traditions have changed. Not even the legendary clan they idolize will save us…"
The Archduke coughed hard in the middle of his speech. His maids approached to check on him, but he waved them away.
"Your Excellency!"
"Please leave…Get me my bag at once…After that, I'd like to be alone…"
The maids and several of the officials rushed out. Muller was one of the few who stayed behind to watch over the Archduke. He walked towards the painting of the White Witch as he thought to himself.
Weisse Hexe…the clan among clans…thus, anyone who inherits the woman's blood is a Witch among Witches.
Despite the Archduke's warnings, Muller still held his hopes. If they found anyone who inherited the legendary clan's blood, then it would surely be a miracle to the Duchy and its people.
And that's the end for Episode 2. Hope you enjoyed the short chapter.
Episode 3-1
Now for the next episode, which will begin the introduction of new shows.
Now, before closing this chapter, I want to note that Asteca is an actual country from Strike Witches. According to the Strike Witches world map, it's right where Mexico is. Therefore, that's the supposed "birthplace" of Alice Alcubierre.
Next part will be the actual battle. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
On Westria's side of the Alps, a squad of Germanian soldiers investigated a crash site. It was the remains of the twin-engine transport that got shot down not so long ago. They received the distress call before it crashed and were the first to arrive there as part of their responsibility.
Berkman stood upon the scrapped remains of the transport. All the personnel and experimental equipment were left behind….almost all of it. The only thing that was missing were two passengers as Rickert reported.
"So far, the only bodies we found were our own soldiers. There's no sign of a parachute used, either. What do you think happened to the princess and the specimen?"
"Maybe she was the real thing then."
Berkman's calm words startled Rickert for a moment.
"You mean, she's a descendant of Weisse Hexe?"
Berkman sighed as they moved on.
"Either way, it's our responsibility to go after her. We will call the workshop and tell them we're in pursuit."
A couple of soldiers with a large radio reported to the pair.
"Major! Incoming transmission from emergency HQ! A battle is about to begin on the plains south of Ruden Lake!"
Berkman understood what was going in that region. The Germanian troops were approaching Coenenberg, which was not far from their location. Upon hearing the news, Berkman figured out their ultimate destination.
Berkman stood upon the scrapped remains of the transport. All the personnel and experimental equipment were left behind….almost all of it. The only thing that was missing were two passengers as Rickert reported.
"So far, the only bodies we found were our own soldiers. There's no sign of a parachute used, either. What do you think happened to the princess and the specimen?"
"Maybe she was the real thing then."
Berkman's calm words startled Rickert for a moment.
"You mean, she's a descendant of Weisse Hexe?"
Berkman sighed as they moved on.
"Either way, it's our responsibility to go after her. We will call the workshop and tell them we're in pursuit."
A couple of soldiers with a large radio reported to the pair.
"Major! Incoming transmission from emergency HQ! A battle is about to begin on the plains south of Ruden Lake!"
Berkman understood what was going in that region. The Germanian troops were approaching Coenenberg, which was not far from their location. Upon hearing the news, Berkman figured out their ultimate destination.
"I see, so that's how it is…"
Tipler pondered as he hid in Alice's pocket. He and have been traveling beside Izetta and Fine, way ahead of the soldiers behind them.
The quartet found it necessary to keep private discussions among each other. It was perhaps the only time that they could do such a task. Time was of the essence now that Germania invaded with a large-scale force. They needed to know other now to ensure that they could trust each other. Their relationships were as much of a secret as their powers, which is why they found some place to be alone.
Fine started sharing their stories first, starting back when they first met. She also explained about the scar on her hip.
"Ever since the day we first met, the two of us treasured our friendship very deeply."
Alice started asking questions to Fine and her companion as they went forward.
"If you really like each other, why didn't you two stay together this entire time? Why live separate until now."
Izetta answered.
"It's because we're nomads. Unlike normal Witches, our clan never stayed in one place."
"So, there are more people like you?"
Izetta shook her head.
"I only lived with my grandmother for most of my life. She kept telling me that I would be the last of our clan. She always told me that our powers only bring grief and suffering to others. Therefore, I was to never use my powers for anything, even if it were for good. And because I did not have full control of my powers, we had to keep moving. The people of this continent despised people like us. For all my life, I felt scared, so much that I started to hate myself, and even the power I inherited."
Tipler pitied the little girl. But Alice had the opposite reaction. Instead, she slapped Izetta on the back to her shock.
"Don't be so down about it. Your princess seems to enjoy you and your powers, doesn't she? She seems to worship you if it's true that your clan descend from this legendary White Witch."
Fine gave a blush.
"Her powers were always interesting. She always talked to me about how she never smiled in real life because she was so scared everyone would hate her. Even when people did end up hating her, I always stood by her side."
"And now, it's because of your power that your princess is safe! If it weren't for you, your friend could have died by now, and…Izetta?"
Alice noticed that Izetta was still unmoved by her words. She looked worse than before as if a massive guilt trip happened.
"I'm not worthy of being her friend."
"Izetta?"
Fine stepped in to switch the conversation. She faced Alice specifically, who was the most talkative among them.
"I think we should now hear your side of the story. Who are you two exactly?"
Alice responded with pride like the last time.
"Well, to start, I'm Alice Alcubierre. And this here is Tipler, my…"
"I already know that. I mean, where did you two come from? And why do have a creature unlike any other as your companion?"
Alice sweated for the moment. Her face went red as well as she never thought over that part enough.
"Well, that's a long story. You see, I'm from the United States of Liberion."
Izetta only raised an eyebrow since she only heard the name. On the other hand, Fine's eyes were far more surprised.
"Liberion? You mean, you came all the way from the Atlantic?"
Alice gave a mischievous grin and winked at her.
"That's right! Well, I originally started south from Liberion, in the nation of Asteca. And even then, things got fuzzy."
Izetta and Fine focused on Alice as she told her story.
"You see, I was never born in such a tropical wasteland. I knew from the start, as did the family who adopted me, that I could never have been naturally born in this kind of world. For that very reason, they kept pestering me not to use them out in the open."
Alice raised her hand to show a powerful flame before immediately grabbing it, clenching her hand into a fist.
"If you ask me, this kind of power is my lifeblood. I knew that I could do anything if I convinced myself that this was a gift. Who cares if I must keep it a secret, screw what my parents or others think of it! This is my power, and I'm not going to let others tell me what to do with them!"
"I see…"
Fine gave an uneasy laugh. Izetta, however, had her face red. Perhaps it was jealousy over the girl, or rather shame that she didn't have the courage as Alice had. She only listened as Alice continued.
"After my parents passed away, I was given control of the house. But I didn't want just to remain stuck in a place like that. I made a promise to them that I would pursue an easier life than the one they had. That's why I left it all behind and headed off to the States. Then I saw all this stuff about the Empire of Germania and Neuroi waging war out here. I couldn't just let all of this crazy stuff happen, so I decided to help out."
Fine could understand Alice's desires well. But that also brought up another question.
"And how did you here from the United States?"
"Just found a food merchant ship en route to this place. I just stowed away in the cargo area, ate whatever stuff they transported, and finally got off without anyone noticing."
Fine smirked at the girl while also giving a glare.
"You better have paid for damaged goods then. If it weren't for the war, I would charge you for confessing to thievery and vandalizing personal property."
Alice waved her threat her threat.
"Ahh, it's no biggie. In fact, that's how I came to meet Tipler!"
Alice then grabbed the shocked Tipler and hugged him in front of her chest. Fine let out a more honest chuckle. She eyed on the creature and asked Alice again.
"I see, and what is his story?"
"I don't know. What he said was kind of iffy to me."
A question mark drew upon the other two girls as Alice gave a straight answer.
"Well, to start, Tipler says that he's a being from the future."
Izetta and Fine both had their eyes wide open, the princess was the one to talk.
"From the future!? Impossible!"
Tipler responded to the princess's shock over with a hint of guilt.
"A very distant one, I'm afraid."
"What brings you here? Of all places, why did you come to this period in time? Is it something to do with World War II and the Germanians winning the war?"
Alice was the one to answer that question.
"Tipler did not come here because of Germania. Hell, he says that he comes from a world where technology does not exist. Tanks and planes aside, he doesn't even know what money, trains, or guns are! It's like he came from medieval or prehistoric times or something."
Tipler looked down to confirm Alice's words.
"I'm afraid that where I come from, all of this is completely alien to me. However, I can not let it get in the way of my mission."
Fine then eyed on the little creature.
"And what is your mission?"
"To protect the world from the Vilag."
"The Vilag?"
Alice clarified Izetta's confusion.
"From what I understand, they're people like me, humans who have special abilities like the Witches of our world…although he keeps calling them Psionics."
Tipler went to explain the meaning of the term.
"Psionics differ from the…magic of our world. Seeing your powers in action, you all have a limit as to how much you can do with your abilities. The Vilag, on the other hand, have no such limitations except for their mental state and amount of practice. Simply put, as long as they can focus by even a little bit, they can bend the world as they see fit."
Izetta was the most shaken of the two. She may be a powerful Witch by her own right, but Tipler's words sounded like he knew her grave secret. Fine was also unnerved about these beings, wondering what would happen if they arrive.
"So these Vilag are that powerful?"
Alice replied as he hugged Tipler even more.
"That's why he found me! When I found him, he was looking for two people with Psionics who will defeat these evil Vilag, and I am one of them!"
"Two people?"
Tipler confirmed Alice's words.
"Yes, I thought if I could find one, then I could easily find the other. But considering she does not know of anyone else who wields Psionics, that does not appear to be the case."
"I wish we could help you in any way we can. However…"
Alice put Tipler back in her pouch as she responded.
"That's okay. You're fighting a war here, aren't you? Of course, you don't have much time! But that doesn't mean we have no reason to be here. I just need to get a taste of combat to prepare for the real bad guys. That way, when they arrive, I'll be ready to beat these Vilag to a bloody pulp whatever I see fit!"
"Is that so?"
Alice slammed her fist and palm together with glee, which gave Fine and Izetta an uneasy laugh. It would not be wrong to call Alice bold, especially if her first battle was trying to rescue her in the face of several fighter squadrons. But if Alice thought that would be enough to take on the whole Germanian force, then she was undoubtedly overconfident.
"Princess!"
Izetta called as they found Eylstadt soldiers rushing up from behind. Fine faced forward as did everyone else.
"We have arrived."
At the end of the trail, there was a large medieval castle standing by the cliff. Although the mountainside was covered in trees, there was enough visibility over the edge. On the side, they could see a river with all its bridges destroyed. On the other side was a column of tanks and trenches, poised to strike against the Germanian invaders.
Tipler pondered as he hid in Alice's pocket. He and have been traveling beside Izetta and Fine, way ahead of the soldiers behind them.
The quartet found it necessary to keep private discussions among each other. It was perhaps the only time that they could do such a task. Time was of the essence now that Germania invaded with a large-scale force. They needed to know other now to ensure that they could trust each other. Their relationships were as much of a secret as their powers, which is why they found some place to be alone.
Fine started sharing their stories first, starting back when they first met. She also explained about the scar on her hip.
"Ever since the day we first met, the two of us treasured our friendship very deeply."
Alice started asking questions to Fine and her companion as they went forward.
"If you really like each other, why didn't you two stay together this entire time? Why live separate until now."
Izetta answered.
"It's because we're nomads. Unlike normal Witches, our clan never stayed in one place."
"So, there are more people like you?"
Izetta shook her head.
"I only lived with my grandmother for most of my life. She kept telling me that I would be the last of our clan. She always told me that our powers only bring grief and suffering to others. Therefore, I was to never use my powers for anything, even if it were for good. And because I did not have full control of my powers, we had to keep moving. The people of this continent despised people like us. For all my life, I felt scared, so much that I started to hate myself, and even the power I inherited."
Tipler pitied the little girl. But Alice had the opposite reaction. Instead, she slapped Izetta on the back to her shock.
"Don't be so down about it. Your princess seems to enjoy you and your powers, doesn't she? She seems to worship you if it's true that your clan descend from this legendary White Witch."
Fine gave a blush.
"Her powers were always interesting. She always talked to me about how she never smiled in real life because she was so scared everyone would hate her. Even when people did end up hating her, I always stood by her side."
"And now, it's because of your power that your princess is safe! If it weren't for you, your friend could have died by now, and…Izetta?"
Alice noticed that Izetta was still unmoved by her words. She looked worse than before as if a massive guilt trip happened.
"I'm not worthy of being her friend."
"Izetta?"
Fine stepped in to switch the conversation. She faced Alice specifically, who was the most talkative among them.
"I think we should now hear your side of the story. Who are you two exactly?"
Alice responded with pride like the last time.
"Well, to start, I'm Alice Alcubierre. And this here is Tipler, my…"
"I already know that. I mean, where did you two come from? And why do have a creature unlike any other as your companion?"
Alice sweated for the moment. Her face went red as well as she never thought over that part enough.
"Well, that's a long story. You see, I'm from the United States of Liberion."
Izetta only raised an eyebrow since she only heard the name. On the other hand, Fine's eyes were far more surprised.
"Liberion? You mean, you came all the way from the Atlantic?"
Alice gave a mischievous grin and winked at her.
"That's right! Well, I originally started south from Liberion, in the nation of Asteca. And even then, things got fuzzy."
Izetta and Fine focused on Alice as she told her story.
"You see, I was never born in such a tropical wasteland. I knew from the start, as did the family who adopted me, that I could never have been naturally born in this kind of world. For that very reason, they kept pestering me not to use them out in the open."
Alice raised her hand to show a powerful flame before immediately grabbing it, clenching her hand into a fist.
"If you ask me, this kind of power is my lifeblood. I knew that I could do anything if I convinced myself that this was a gift. Who cares if I must keep it a secret, screw what my parents or others think of it! This is my power, and I'm not going to let others tell me what to do with them!"
"I see…"
Fine gave an uneasy laugh. Izetta, however, had her face red. Perhaps it was jealousy over the girl, or rather shame that she didn't have the courage as Alice had. She only listened as Alice continued.
"After my parents passed away, I was given control of the house. But I didn't want just to remain stuck in a place like that. I made a promise to them that I would pursue an easier life than the one they had. That's why I left it all behind and headed off to the States. Then I saw all this stuff about the Empire of Germania and Neuroi waging war out here. I couldn't just let all of this crazy stuff happen, so I decided to help out."
Fine could understand Alice's desires well. But that also brought up another question.
"And how did you here from the United States?"
"Just found a food merchant ship en route to this place. I just stowed away in the cargo area, ate whatever stuff they transported, and finally got off without anyone noticing."
Fine smirked at the girl while also giving a glare.
"You better have paid for damaged goods then. If it weren't for the war, I would charge you for confessing to thievery and vandalizing personal property."
Alice waved her threat her threat.
"Ahh, it's no biggie. In fact, that's how I came to meet Tipler!"
Alice then grabbed the shocked Tipler and hugged him in front of her chest. Fine let out a more honest chuckle. She eyed on the creature and asked Alice again.
"I see, and what is his story?"
"I don't know. What he said was kind of iffy to me."
A question mark drew upon the other two girls as Alice gave a straight answer.
"Well, to start, Tipler says that he's a being from the future."
Izetta and Fine both had their eyes wide open, the princess was the one to talk.
"From the future!? Impossible!"
Tipler responded to the princess's shock over with a hint of guilt.
"A very distant one, I'm afraid."
"What brings you here? Of all places, why did you come to this period in time? Is it something to do with World War II and the Germanians winning the war?"
Alice was the one to answer that question.
"Tipler did not come here because of Germania. Hell, he says that he comes from a world where technology does not exist. Tanks and planes aside, he doesn't even know what money, trains, or guns are! It's like he came from medieval or prehistoric times or something."
Tipler looked down to confirm Alice's words.
"I'm afraid that where I come from, all of this is completely alien to me. However, I can not let it get in the way of my mission."
Fine then eyed on the little creature.
"And what is your mission?"
"To protect the world from the Vilag."
"The Vilag?"
Alice clarified Izetta's confusion.
"From what I understand, they're people like me, humans who have special abilities like the Witches of our world…although he keeps calling them Psionics."
Tipler went to explain the meaning of the term.
"Psionics differ from the…magic of our world. Seeing your powers in action, you all have a limit as to how much you can do with your abilities. The Vilag, on the other hand, have no such limitations except for their mental state and amount of practice. Simply put, as long as they can focus by even a little bit, they can bend the world as they see fit."
Izetta was the most shaken of the two. She may be a powerful Witch by her own right, but Tipler's words sounded like he knew her grave secret. Fine was also unnerved about these beings, wondering what would happen if they arrive.
"So these Vilag are that powerful?"
Alice replied as he hugged Tipler even more.
"That's why he found me! When I found him, he was looking for two people with Psionics who will defeat these evil Vilag, and I am one of them!"
"Two people?"
Tipler confirmed Alice's words.
"Yes, I thought if I could find one, then I could easily find the other. But considering she does not know of anyone else who wields Psionics, that does not appear to be the case."
"I wish we could help you in any way we can. However…"
Alice put Tipler back in her pouch as she responded.
"That's okay. You're fighting a war here, aren't you? Of course, you don't have much time! But that doesn't mean we have no reason to be here. I just need to get a taste of combat to prepare for the real bad guys. That way, when they arrive, I'll be ready to beat these Vilag to a bloody pulp whatever I see fit!"
"Is that so?"
Alice slammed her fist and palm together with glee, which gave Fine and Izetta an uneasy laugh. It would not be wrong to call Alice bold, especially if her first battle was trying to rescue her in the face of several fighter squadrons. But if Alice thought that would be enough to take on the whole Germanian force, then she was undoubtedly overconfident.
"Princess!"
Izetta called as they found Eylstadt soldiers rushing up from behind. Fine faced forward as did everyone else.
"We have arrived."
At the end of the trail, there was a large medieval castle standing by the cliff. Although the mountainside was covered in trees, there was enough visibility over the edge. On the side, they could see a river with all its bridges destroyed. On the other side was a column of tanks and trenches, poised to strike against the Germanian invaders.
The Eylstadt soldiers were busy setting up their new camp within the worn-down fortress. Even though it was in bad shape and abandoned for so long, it was still far better than the tents outside. The doctors begin treating the other wounded members while other scouts and soldiers set up guard posts around the castle.
Fine stayed in a mansion within the fort. For the past few hours, she conversed with the soldiers about Germania's advances. The duchy's future already looked grim as reports of more casualties and population centers lost to Germania came to her.
Right now, Fine remained in what used to be an old living room. The princess sat on a simple wooden chair with Alice and Izetta in front of her. She called all the soldiers to leave them alone as they began a private talk, with Alice breaking the silence.
"So, what's the situation?"
"I'm afraid to tell you that it's not looking good. The Germanian army has already broken through most of our defensive lines and crossed the Lach River. Our men destroyed the bridges to delay them, but as a result, we are unable to cross it ourselves."
"Then how do we get back to your capital?"
"There's a mountain pass we can take to get there, but it's a gamble. If Coenenberg falls before we make it there, we'll be completely surrounded."
"Coenenberg?"
"It's currently our last line of defense. Should Germania take control of it, they'll have an easy path to the capital via the main road. The people are evacuating, but even now, I fear that they'll begin bombing the city at any time."
"So, no good news, huh?"
"I'm afraid not. Without the help of the Allies, we've been on our own. But reports say that we have some soldiers form Karsland coming to assisting in Coenenberg's defense."
"Karsland?"
Fine turned to her friend to get her attention regarding the matter. It was important enough to avoid unnecessary casualties and fights.
"Something for you to know. As this point, we might come across soldiers who look and speak Germanian. However, these people are from an underground network within the Empire known as the Karsland resistance movement."
Alice rubbed her face with the palm of her hand with intrigue.
"Rebels against their own Empire, eh? What's their stake in this?"
"In case you either forgot or never learned this, Karsland was the original name for Germania. After the first World War, the nation reformed towards democracy, shifting power away from its monarchy much like all the other European nations. However, various problems made the new government indecisive, and the people were struggling for help. By the time the nation suffered a severe economic crisis, the current ruler had acted."
"That's the current Kaiser, Otto."
"He rallied the people to his side and convinced them to completely transfer power back to the royal family, revamping the nation's economy and infrastructure. The country changed so greatly that at the peak of its power, he deemed the name Karsland a name of the past. It was then that he decided to give his empire a new name, Germanian, which comes from ancient history."
"Well, that explains how where the name came from. But that doesn't explain what else is going on there. Ignoring the Neuroi, there are his dreams of world conquest, and we all know the other filthy stuff the Kaiser did to get his position."
What Alice mentioned were the various other crimes that occurred during the Kaiser's rise to power. Although she only saw some of it, Izetta also felt sick about it. Not just the massacre of entire settlements, but also how they pursued Witches like her. Tipler did not know any of this stuff, but she could also feel what the White Witch was thinking. The thoughts overwhelmed them both as Fine's lecture with Alice continued.
"Throughout his campaign for absolute power, he targeted various groups for the people to hate. Specifically, he targeted on Witches, where he claimed ordinary humans could work far better than they can. He even claims their attempt to reach greater heights rather than relying on Witches are what caused the Neuroi not to attack their homeland. After that, he focused on advancing the nation's technology by any means necessary, no matter how morally questionable it was."
"I'm guessing that's why he started persecuting Witches?"
"There are those who say he simply wanted their power, even if meant obtaining it by force, but many were wise enough to go against him. Some Witches and their supporters, especially from political and military backgrounds, decided to work behind the Kaiser's back, assisting the Allies whenever possible to stand against his tyranny. Even then, it's not enough to stop them."
"Sorry to hear about that."
"There's no need to apologize. It's practically a miracle that I made it back here alive. No, it is a miracle. But now, there will be no more miracles; this is something we must do on our own."
"Princess?"
Izetta spoke up at last. The last words caught her attention as the princess faced her.
"Izetta, I want you and Alice to run away from this war."
"What!?"
Even Alice jumped over the princess's decision. She could easily feel Izetta's shock over such a request as the Witch complained.
"Run away? But why?"
"This is Eylstadt's war. I can't get any of you involved in our affairs."
"But I…"
"You fought for me and even broke your taboo to do so. Alice also did well to protect me, but she has other important matters besides ours. Your efforts were more than enough."
"What are you talking about!?"
"You two are the only people who never seem to care about my rank. That's why I want you to survive. Is that too selfish of me?"
Alice noticed the sad look in Izetta's eyes. Perhaps she was thinking about the times when Fine risked her life to save her. That included the time when villagers blamed for a fire in the farmhouse, which resulted in the princess receiving that ugly scar on her hip. Now, the princess was sacrificing herself again for Izetta's sake. That was something even Alice did not standby over, not with such tyrannical Empire coming their way and Fine's fate uncertain.
"It's the same as before…"
Izetta muttered to herself as fine listened.
"First, it was that day when you protected me, and now this. Every time the two of us were in trouble, it was always you who came to save me. That's why I started to like myself and my powers, even just by a little bit. Even so…I've never done anything for you, especially not as a friend."
"Izetta…"
"Princess, I have a request. Will you…be my hope?"
"Izetta, are you saying?"
"From now on, I will protect your country!"
Alice smirked at the Witch's bold statement. She usually thought of her as being forced to do something against her will, even if it meant saving a person. Her past didn't help either, including her relationship with the princess. By finally standing up to herself, Alice had a better opinion of her.
However, Fine thought otherwise. The princess raised her arms, only to limp over her wound again.
"No, you can't, Izetta! As powerful as you are, you'll never beat them!"
Alice stepped in front to defend her with her bandaged arm in front.
"Come on! You saw her destroy a squadron of planes, right? Why can't you say she can take on more!"
"A handful of planes is one thing, but you'll be going against an army of over tens of thousands! They are the most advanced army in the world and trained themsleves to confront other Witches! It won't be as easy as before!"
Izetta and Alice thought otherwise.
"But I think I can do it."
"I do, too! Tipler and I came all the way here to fight the bad guys and save the world! I'm not going to just back down because you tell us to, not when we've made it this far!"
Fine regained her composure. She remained unphased about their commitment to assist her country despite the situation.
"I appreciate the gesture. But I can't get you involved when you have nothing to do with it. Please…"
The girls remained silent within the room, with none of them budging over their stances. Even Tipler did not know what to say, considering his master's bold action and his own helplessness.
Fine stayed in a mansion within the fort. For the past few hours, she conversed with the soldiers about Germania's advances. The duchy's future already looked grim as reports of more casualties and population centers lost to Germania came to her.
Right now, Fine remained in what used to be an old living room. The princess sat on a simple wooden chair with Alice and Izetta in front of her. She called all the soldiers to leave them alone as they began a private talk, with Alice breaking the silence.
"So, what's the situation?"
"I'm afraid to tell you that it's not looking good. The Germanian army has already broken through most of our defensive lines and crossed the Lach River. Our men destroyed the bridges to delay them, but as a result, we are unable to cross it ourselves."
"Then how do we get back to your capital?"
"There's a mountain pass we can take to get there, but it's a gamble. If Coenenberg falls before we make it there, we'll be completely surrounded."
"Coenenberg?"
"It's currently our last line of defense. Should Germania take control of it, they'll have an easy path to the capital via the main road. The people are evacuating, but even now, I fear that they'll begin bombing the city at any time."
"So, no good news, huh?"
"I'm afraid not. Without the help of the Allies, we've been on our own. But reports say that we have some soldiers form Karsland coming to assisting in Coenenberg's defense."
"Karsland?"
Fine turned to her friend to get her attention regarding the matter. It was important enough to avoid unnecessary casualties and fights.
"Something for you to know. As this point, we might come across soldiers who look and speak Germanian. However, these people are from an underground network within the Empire known as the Karsland resistance movement."
Alice rubbed her face with the palm of her hand with intrigue.
"Rebels against their own Empire, eh? What's their stake in this?"
"In case you either forgot or never learned this, Karsland was the original name for Germania. After the first World War, the nation reformed towards democracy, shifting power away from its monarchy much like all the other European nations. However, various problems made the new government indecisive, and the people were struggling for help. By the time the nation suffered a severe economic crisis, the current ruler had acted."
"That's the current Kaiser, Otto."
"He rallied the people to his side and convinced them to completely transfer power back to the royal family, revamping the nation's economy and infrastructure. The country changed so greatly that at the peak of its power, he deemed the name Karsland a name of the past. It was then that he decided to give his empire a new name, Germanian, which comes from ancient history."
"Well, that explains how where the name came from. But that doesn't explain what else is going on there. Ignoring the Neuroi, there are his dreams of world conquest, and we all know the other filthy stuff the Kaiser did to get his position."
What Alice mentioned were the various other crimes that occurred during the Kaiser's rise to power. Although she only saw some of it, Izetta also felt sick about it. Not just the massacre of entire settlements, but also how they pursued Witches like her. Tipler did not know any of this stuff, but she could also feel what the White Witch was thinking. The thoughts overwhelmed them both as Fine's lecture with Alice continued.
"Throughout his campaign for absolute power, he targeted various groups for the people to hate. Specifically, he targeted on Witches, where he claimed ordinary humans could work far better than they can. He even claims their attempt to reach greater heights rather than relying on Witches are what caused the Neuroi not to attack their homeland. After that, he focused on advancing the nation's technology by any means necessary, no matter how morally questionable it was."
"I'm guessing that's why he started persecuting Witches?"
"There are those who say he simply wanted their power, even if meant obtaining it by force, but many were wise enough to go against him. Some Witches and their supporters, especially from political and military backgrounds, decided to work behind the Kaiser's back, assisting the Allies whenever possible to stand against his tyranny. Even then, it's not enough to stop them."
"Sorry to hear about that."
"There's no need to apologize. It's practically a miracle that I made it back here alive. No, it is a miracle. But now, there will be no more miracles; this is something we must do on our own."
"Princess?"
Izetta spoke up at last. The last words caught her attention as the princess faced her.
"Izetta, I want you and Alice to run away from this war."
"What!?"
Even Alice jumped over the princess's decision. She could easily feel Izetta's shock over such a request as the Witch complained.
"Run away? But why?"
"This is Eylstadt's war. I can't get any of you involved in our affairs."
"But I…"
"You fought for me and even broke your taboo to do so. Alice also did well to protect me, but she has other important matters besides ours. Your efforts were more than enough."
"What are you talking about!?"
"You two are the only people who never seem to care about my rank. That's why I want you to survive. Is that too selfish of me?"
Alice noticed the sad look in Izetta's eyes. Perhaps she was thinking about the times when Fine risked her life to save her. That included the time when villagers blamed for a fire in the farmhouse, which resulted in the princess receiving that ugly scar on her hip. Now, the princess was sacrificing herself again for Izetta's sake. That was something even Alice did not standby over, not with such tyrannical Empire coming their way and Fine's fate uncertain.
"It's the same as before…"
Izetta muttered to herself as fine listened.
"First, it was that day when you protected me, and now this. Every time the two of us were in trouble, it was always you who came to save me. That's why I started to like myself and my powers, even just by a little bit. Even so…I've never done anything for you, especially not as a friend."
"Izetta…"
"Princess, I have a request. Will you…be my hope?"
"Izetta, are you saying?"
"From now on, I will protect your country!"
Alice smirked at the Witch's bold statement. She usually thought of her as being forced to do something against her will, even if it meant saving a person. Her past didn't help either, including her relationship with the princess. By finally standing up to herself, Alice had a better opinion of her.
However, Fine thought otherwise. The princess raised her arms, only to limp over her wound again.
"No, you can't, Izetta! As powerful as you are, you'll never beat them!"
Alice stepped in front to defend her with her bandaged arm in front.
"Come on! You saw her destroy a squadron of planes, right? Why can't you say she can take on more!"
"A handful of planes is one thing, but you'll be going against an army of over tens of thousands! They are the most advanced army in the world and trained themsleves to confront other Witches! It won't be as easy as before!"
Izetta and Alice thought otherwise.
"But I think I can do it."
"I do, too! Tipler and I came all the way here to fight the bad guys and save the world! I'm not going to just back down because you tell us to, not when we've made it this far!"
Fine regained her composure. She remained unphased about their commitment to assist her country despite the situation.
"I appreciate the gesture. But I can't get you involved when you have nothing to do with it. Please…"
The girls remained silent within the room, with none of them budging over their stances. Even Tipler did not know what to say, considering his master's bold action and his own helplessness.
Now, before closing this chapter, I want to note that Asteca is an actual country from Strike Witches. According to the Strike Witches world map, it's right where Mexico is. Therefore, that's the supposed "birthplace" of Alice Alcubierre.
Next part will be the actual battle. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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Episode 3-2
Before moving on, I decided that because the ending part was too short, I'll just put it together with the battle. After this, we can go straight to the fourth episode.
In the meantime, I'll be displaying some battle quote in the forums I conjure when writing this fic, much like how characters will have special quotes when fighting certain enemies in the SRW game. I'll be storing the lists of quotes for each character in each series on replied with respective threadmarks. I'll update them whenever I approve new quotes that people come up with, whether it be here on the forums or from reviews on FF.net.
There will be a list for each character, both good guys and bad guys, sorted by series. Each list will contain special quotes for confronting an opponent, receiving damage from an opponent (minimal/avoiding damage, major damage with high health, and major damage with low health), support from an ally (attacking and defending), and sometimes death. Therefore, that's seven lists in total.
I'll give a couple of examples later. For now, here's the chapter.
The fields of Coenenberg was never the type for a battlefield. And yet, it became one as Germanian forces advanced unopposed. Squads of infantry escorted columns of Panzer IIIs and IVs. The already crushed the Eylstadt's Renault tank columns, eliminating the entire armored division that stood at the vanguard. Now that was left standing in the way of conquering the city were the entrenched positions and whatever artillery batteries they had.
Unlike the tanks, the defensive positions proved to be more of a problem for the ground troops. Their cannons were useless in the trenches and machineguns had limited effectiveness. Without heavy weapons such as machine guns, the ground soldiers easily took care of them by throwing grenades into the trenches. However, there were still a lot of machinegun emplacements, which kept them advancing. They had to rely on their allies from above.
Up in the air were Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, all of which carried bombs under their wings in addition to two forward MG17s and one rear mounted MG15 machinegun. Their main purpose was to bomb the trenches so the tanks could advance, but even that was a problem. There were no Eylstadt planes to intercept them, but they were attacked by another threat, which was why they were brought in instead of twin-engine He-111 bombers.
Shortly below the Stukas was a twin-tailed, brown-haired girl in her late teens. Her uniform looked much like that used by Germania, except her emblem had an "X" instead of a dagger-like Balkenkruz. However, she did not wear any legwear. Instead, she wore machines on her legs that resembled propeller-driven aircraft that gave her flight. Furthermore, if her leg-attached machine were a real fight, then it would resemble Germania's own Falk-Wulf 190D-6. She even carried a Germanian-based MG42 with had two drum magazines attached to it. The bright aura around her showed she used magic flowing within her to wield the heavy weapon, also shown by her ears and tail like that from a Wirehaired Pointer dog.
Gertrude Barkhorn remained in place as she opened fire on a squadron of Stukas. Her stream of bullets tore through the wing of the leading Stuka, forcing the others to break away. She engaged another plane breaking to the right before she pursued it. The two Stukas on the left returned from their defensive split maneuver to get behind her. Anticipating this maneuver, she ascended to a higher altitude. Right when the planes pass, she performed a partial wingover by swooping down to trail behind all four planes.
As the plane's rear-mounted gunner opened fire, Gertrude put up a circular barrier of light in front of her. This shield deflected the gunfire that would have torn through her body otherwise. In the middle of the gunfire, she engaged in a scissor-like maneuver, strafing to the left and right as she engaged the Stuka. She luckily got the middle by the tail and sent it plunging to the ground.
The closest Stuka continued to open fire. One bounced off Gertrude's Striker Unit that knocked her off balance in the middle of firing. The leading Stuka did a pitchback to the right and faced Gertrude head-on. The Witch stopped moving to regain balance as the Stuka aimed at her. She attempted to project a shield from the anticipating gunfire as another stream of MG42 fire came from above. The attacking Stuka turned to break off, but the hail of bullets damaged by the left wing and back section, sending it flying into the ground.
The stream of bullets came from a short blonde girl. Her Striker unit resembled one of Germania's ME-109s, and she had ears like that of a Dachshund dog. Her uniform was like Gertrude's, except more for an enlisted officer. She was pretty laid back for a subordinate, much to the officer's ire, but she had it where it counted.
"You seem to have trouble, Trude."
"Don't lose sight of the enemy! There are more planes inbound, take them out before they bomb our allies on the ground!"
Another girl in a Striker Unit came in after flipping two loops backward. She was fair-skinned with two short, black twin-tails and ears of a black panther. She only wore a white button jacket instead of the Germanian-like uniforms of her two comrades. Her Striker Unit resembled a Romagna Fiat G-55.
Francesca Lucchini struggled to hold onto her Liberion-made M1919A6 machinegun as she regained balance. She was already getting tired over the countless waves of Germanian aircraft.
"Aggh, they just keep coming! When is this ever going to end!?"
"If we don't hold them off here, they will strike deep into Eylstadt territory and overwhelm the capital! We need to shoot down as many as we can and hold them off until the city evacuates."
Gertrude did not show it but also cursed the entire situation. Aside from having to fight her own countrymen, this whole battle was never for the sake of victory. It was so the citizens could escape the duchy, which was a long and slow process altogether.
"Our men on the ground say that the Eylstadt forces will launch an artillery barrage soon. Keep the enemy at bay and make sure they do not bomb their positions, especially their observation post in the mountains."
Gertrude then descended as Erica and Francesca followed her. They swooped in and attacked a Stuka about to drop its bombs, but the plane crashed into the entrenched position after shooting it down. A few more Stuka dropped their bombs before ascending. The Witches fired their weapon at the enemy planes with Erica and Gertrude destroying two more planes. Another two that completed their run fired their rear machineguns, forcing them to project their shields as they pursued. They behind one of the Stukas as it fired back. Erica and Francesca used Gertrude's shield as they performed a scissors maneuver and shot down one of the Stukas. After clearing the other Stuka's line of fire, the Witches approached it by the side as Gertrude destroyed the propeller. They broke off from the downed Stuka as they continued heading back to the mountains.
They performed low yo-yo maneuver together to gain speed as they flew over the ruined trenches. The Germanian Panzer IIIs continued to advance below as they fired with their turret and chassis-mounted machineguns. The Eylstadt forces and Karsland agents continued to fire back with their own machineguns as several of them got shot by their helmets.
Gertrude tightened her grip on her weapons a glared at the ground vehicles.
If only my MG151/20 had ammo, I would have done something about those tanks by now.
A shadow from the next wave of Stukas pass over Gertrude, causing her and her squad mates to break off as they gained altitude. Using their speed to their advantage, they made a quick strike from below and fired their machine guns at once. While Francesca had trouble until the last minute, each Witch managed to shoot down a Stuka each. They stopped to observe the downed Stuka crashing into the Germanian troops while the last two Stukas broke away.
The Witches were interrupted as gunfire came from above. Another squadron of Stukas descended to attack the girls, forcing them to put up their shields and accelerated. The leading Stuka trialed girl and fired its forward machineguns at them. A few bullets got Francesca and Gertrude by their guns, and another grazed the latter's wing, causing her to spiral for the moment. Another bullet nearly got Erica by the arm shortly after lowering her shield, only to fire back within machinegun fire into the plane's engine.
Two accompanying planes started to fire back as well, but the Witches stopped and put their shields to block the attacks. They slowed down their speed until they were sandwiched on both sides. While this was naturally disadvantageous for normal planes, the more mobile Witches remained safe from the life of fire including the Stukas' rear guns. They gunned down both Stukas closest to them while Gertrude got another one further outward. Francesca missed the last one that broke off and returned fire with its rear turret. The Romagna Witch panicked as he put a shield as Gertrude and Erica pursued. They fired their MG42s at the strafing dive bomber and nabbed it on the right wing. The Stuka then crashed into the cliff edge, not too far from the observation post.
The Witches stopped as they found the observation post still intact. No planes approached the cliff side so that the artillery could fire at any time now. They heard the rapid on the other side of the mountain, coming from the forests as they flew below the Witches. They noticed the shots drop down and pound the advancing Germanian forces. A few tanks got destroyed, although they were all only Panzer IIIs, and a few more Germanian squads were obliterated.
Gertrude sighed for the moment. They had been fighting since the afternoon, and before then, they traveled from an airport to the east just to get to Coenenberg. The entire battle was draining, and even with all the hard work, it wasn't as rewarding as it sounded. It was a lost cause from the start, and all they were doing was salvaging what they could at the expense of so many men. Even then, time was short, for them, their allies, and the civilians below.
Back at the fortress, Fine observed the battle from afar. The artillery bombardment damaged some of the tanks and hit many of the advancing Germanian forces, but that was only the first wave. Several more tank columns still advanced from behind with more infantry support. In the air, she observed the Karsland Witches battling against the Stuka dive bombers in the area. Their efforts were minimal but effective to a degree.
A blonde-haired Major of the Eylstadt forces reported to Fine as she observed.
"The artillery did a decent job hitting the armored columns. As of now, it looks like a stalemate from out here."
Fine still had some worry. The first bombardment might have done well, but how long will it last.
"Is there any hope they can win?"
"If we're lucky enough, we'll be able to buy time for the civilians to evacuate."
Those words shocked Fine as if it were the gentle answer of saying "no."
"Are you saying that we're only able to buy time!? Don't our people and Karsland forces even know that!?"
"They do, and they're fighting anyway."
Fine clinched her fists as the situation further overwhelmed her. Whether the soldiers were fighting or not, lives were being lost by the minute. What the point of saving lives if people were dying as of now, especially when the time being bought is too short to be worth it.
Buying time? We're losing lives just to buy time? Isn't there anything I can do…for the lives being lost this very minute?
A group of soldiers came up behind them.
"Princess, may you allow us to go to Coenenberg?"
The major stepped in to protest.
"No way."
"Our fellow soldiers are dying out there! We can't just stand by and watch!"
"You can't cross anything in front of the river without any equipment."
"We can just kill as many as possible, whether it be our rifles, knives, bayonets, or whatever! We lost our comrades at the fortress. We can't let them all die!"
"NO!"
Fine's scream startled the soldiers as they all drew their eyes on her.
"There's nothing we can do now!"
"But…"
"That's enough! The situation is dire, I know, but those fighting at Coenenberg are fighting to buy us time. When the time comes to withdraw, we must. Have you forgotten our real mission here? What are we risking our lives for? This is neither revenge nor a reckless challenge! It's to protect our people, and our families, is it not!? You must endure for now."
Fine did her best to keep composure, but the madness was more than enough he can bear. They noticed her breaking down in tears as she lectured them.
"I'm sorry, but as I am now, I can't even let you choose where to lay down your lives. At some point, I shall call upon you sacrifice yourselves, but now is not the time. My job is to create a country that lets you keep your eyes fixed on the future. I'm supposed to tell you not how to die, but how to live. That is my duty, and yet…"
"Princess…"
"Now, excuse me."
Fine turned away from the stunned soldiers. She stood strong for too long and did not want to show any weakness. But even with her back turned, she could feel all the soldiers pitying her, having nothing but words to deal with the crisis.
Forgive me…Forgive me for not being strong enough.
During the entire speech, Izetta hid by the tree, watching the princess in agony. Even with Fine's protests, Izetta could only see pain in her eyes. After all the times Fine saved her from her pain and despair she endured, the princess was able to endure that pain herself. The princess's pain was the same as hers.
She slowly snuck away from the soldiers, walking slowly back to the fortress. She always felt pain coming from herself, but pain coming from someone else was something else. She had to do something, something that would make the princess feel better. Then that way, she herself would feel better.
In the middle of the depression, Izetta heard a loud clang that brought her back to her senses. She jerked to the soldiers alongside Fine, who seemingly did not hear the loud metallic noise. The Witch then returned to where the sound originated, another part of a mansion with a door to the outside.
Just then, Alice stepped outside the mansion with clattering medieval lances that looked like large jousting lances. Alice nearly tripped over them with fastened armored boots. Alice regained her balance and had Tipler assist her in fastening two metal gauntlets for her arms.
The Psionic girl noticed the miserable Witch return to a depressing state, and she was not having any of it.
"Hey, White Witch! Are you just going to stay there and weep or what!?"
Izetta snapped to her senses.
"Alice?"
"I saw your eyes back there. You wish to help your princess save her country, don't you? Well, I found the perfect weapons to do it!"
She put her boot on one of the jousting lances that rolled along with her feet. Izetta stared at the lance but got distracted when Tipler fastened the ties to the boots as well.
"And what about those?"
The Witch pointed at the armor that Alice wore.
"Oh, these? I found these gauntlets and boots in this old armory here. My arm may be bandaged, but it's not broken. I can still fight with ease. Plus, the extra armor will keep this kind of injury from happening again."
The Psionic girl generated a large flame from her hand. It somewhat reminded her of how she checked the area for mana, all the way down to pumping her fist.
"And that's not all; I found a whole bunch of stuff you can use as weapons. The soldiers are in the middle of transporting them, so you better get them now before they're all gone."
Izetta walked over near Alice, who pointed through the doorway. She nearly tripped on the lances herself as she stumbled into the old building. What stood before her was a large array of medieval equipment. Swords, lances, knights' armor, chainmail, maces, and a large arsenal of other weapons stood in the gallery. It was more than enough for the White Witch to carry herself.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Alice went beside Izetta and placed her hand on her shoulder. Izetta took a quick look at Alice's hot-blooded grin before looking away. She checked the area for mana one last time, which displayed a huge virtual stone of energy. That was also more than enough for her.
"We'll do this for the Princess."
Both brought their fists together. As Tipler got back in her pouch, Alice brought her hands together with overwhelming confidence.
"That's right! Let's go kick some Germanian ass!"
The Witches continued firing their weapons at the enemy planes as they descended, but they were getting close to their limit. As Gertrude noticed, she was down her last clips, and it looked like Francesca and Erica were close to running out of ammunition as well. Furthermore, the enemy started bringing another wave of Stuka. This time, they had squadrons of Me-109s escorting them, which likely scrambled to deal with their presence. Either way, they were not going to last much longer.
Gertrude fired another salvo at the leading Stuka in another squadron. While she took it by destroying the propeller, the planes already started dropping their bombs on their target. The observation post was obliterated in their bombing run, which meant that the Eylstadt artillery battery was blind. Without a clear sight of the enemy positions, Coenenberg's flank was vulnerable for a push.
"Lieutenant, we've…"
"I know…"
Gertrude silenced Francesca's report as she listed out their options. As she observed the ground below, the Germanians were already breaching the last few lines of defense. Some of the soldiers including their agents even started to pull out with them. It was time for a retreat.
"All Witches, fall back! We've done enough."
"Trude…"
"That is an order. Our men are pulling out it's time we did, too."
Erica and Francesca complied as they flew towards the city. But in their path, machinegun fire flew in their direction. A squadron of Me 109s pursued them as they opened fire with their machine guns. Gertrude turned to fire back, but a couple struck her by the weapon and the arm respectively. It didn't hit anything major, but she found herself plunging downward.
"Trude!"
The Flight Lieutenant could hear Erica's voice as she struggled to regain balance. The Me-109 descended as it aimed towards her. She was about to aim her gun at the fighter until it exploded.
Unaware of what just happened, Gertrude took the take to regain her balance held steady just above the ground. Erica and Francesca also shielded their eyes from the blast, which nearly left them vulnerable to another set of Me 109s. Right when they covered their eyes, they found another girl soaring in the air with what looked two streaks of flame coming from metal gauntlets.
Alice disengaged her rocket-based propulsion to manifests two flames as if they were blowtorches. She used each hand to cut through both fighter planes and send them crashing to the ground.
Erica and Francesca stood braindead over what happened. They immediately wondered who this girl was and how she uses powers similar to blowtorches as swords and rocket-based propulsion from her hands to keep herself up. By all means, she was no ordinary Witch…that is if she was a Witch.
The Psionic girl turned to the two Witches. Gertrude rejoined them soon after as she greeted them.
"Guess I came just in time, eh?"
Gertrude eyed on the sudden savior. She was never any information about this girl, who made an introduction by wiping out three Me 109s with little effort. She demanded to know more about this girl.
"Identify yourself. What is your affiliation?"
"Come on, that's how you greet someone who saved you?"
Alice shook her head and sighed in frustration. She gave her introduction once again, although it was pretty forced.
"The name's Alice, Alice Alcubierre. And I'm here to protect you girls from these Germanian bad guys!"
"You think you can do all of this alone?"
Alice only chuckled as she turned to someplace else on the ground.
"As if! I got some help on the way, someone whose company you'll pretty much enjoy."
"A Witch, but how…"
A dual of explosions caught their attention. It was the same direction that Alice was facing, causing them all to look down. A Stuka dive bomber was just about to bomb another trench with Eylstadt soldiers before they all exploded at once. In the middle of all the smoke, they swore they could see sparkles trail behind a swarm of tiny medieval weapons.
As the smoke cleared, they found something unusually bizarre besides finding many large lances and nearly a hundred swords. Leading this swarm of deadly weapons was a young red-haired girl in an Eylstadt uniform who apparently controlled them with magic. It was another Witch who did not use a Striker Unit to fly and had dozens of weapons to the same.
"Everyone, now!"
The red-haired girl called out to the weapons as if they were living objects. The lances proceeded to wipe out all the enemy planes at the same time. Some planes were impaled multiple times, and some retaliated with by firing their rear-mounted guns. A few luckily broke the magic surrounding the lances and destroyed them, but a few more came in struck back.
The Witches from 501st stood in awe as the vast destruction of the enemy air fleet. More specifically, the gawked at the lances homing in on their targets, something that was impossible even with their current rocket launchers. They cover their eyes as the strange Witch soared past two more 109s as the swords shredded their wings and fuselages.
Her real target was one last Stuka trying to finish off Eylstadt's artillery batteries. Other than the swords, Izetta had only one lance to use that was the one she rode on.
"Go!"
The Witch imbued her lance with magic again as she hopped off. The last of the lances pierced the final Stuka dive by the wing, causing to crash harmlessly away from the mountainside. Izetta panicked a little as she fell from the sky. Only the handle piece of the broken lance saved her.
Although the Witch held on, Gertrude and the other Witches found her descending rapidly. They dived downward and accelerated fast to their location. Alice trailed behind them as they caught to their new friend.
"Give us your hand!"
"Grab on already, will ya!?"
Gertrude and Francesca offered their hands on both sides to the Witch. She found herself confused for the moment, which was she to fall off. They quickly retrieved both hands as they decelerated. As the girls from the 501st approached the ground, they stopped by the nearest trench and let go.
Alice checked to see if Izetta was okay after the encounter. Again, not bad, she thought to herself. She then watched over the Eylstadt soldiers who were stunned by both her and the red-haired Witch, especially a young blonde boy who dropped what looked like a family photo.
"Looks like we're late for the party."
Alice commented as she landed by a few older Eylstadt soldiers.
"And who are you?"
"We are heroes saving the say, that's what!"
Izetta groans as she pushed herself upward. The fall was long, but she still landed on the soft ground with her feet, causing her to land on her knees. The young soldiers and the older ones turned to her as she regained her senses.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The young boy asked the girl as she jerked.
"Y-yes, I'm fine!"
Alice sighed with relief as she approached her.
"Glad to hear it. It's a good thing you're still alive."
Gertrude still had much to ask from these two guests.
"What is going here!? Please state your purpose of being here!"
Alice retorted as she faced the advancing Germanian tanks and burning wreckage.
"I don't think you're in a position to talk like that. Besides, the enemy is not going to wait for our introductions either. Right, Izetta?"
Izetta looked away from the devastation. It was already so much for her to bear, even when she just all the enemy planes. However, Alice was right; there was still mare work that had to be done.
A bunch of swords then flew around the ground. The Eylstadt soldiers and 501st Witches remained started as Francesca?"
"Swords? In the air?"
"Sorry, I just found all of these weapons and will use them for the moment."
Izetta went to an anti-tank rifle mounted in the trench. She asked the soldier nearby who mounted it.
"Also, would you mind if I borrowed this?"
"Uh, no?"
"Sorry, I'll make it up to you later!"
Ignoring the soldier, she grabbed the anti-tank rifle and enveloped it with her magic. The soldiers stared in shock as the rifle lifted into the air while she rode on. Green sparkles trailed behind her as she took flight along with the enchanted swords.
Alice also walked forward as fire lit from her right gauntlet. She patted her pouch with the other to check on Tipler.
"You okay in there?"
"I'm fine, and Izetta-san also sounds okay."
"Just wanted to make sure. Now hold on again, things are going to get a little hot."
As Alice snuck away, the Witches and soldiers remained distracted over Izetta facing the enemy directly. She launched her swords to pelt the Panzer III that attacked a neighboring emplacement. The turret turned to her direction. The swords surrounded the tank as Izetta what the witnesses found unthinkable. By concentrating so much magic as the Witches could tell, she lifted the tank into the air and flipped it over, sending it crashing onto the ground upside down.
Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, prompting to call on her swords to deflect the bullets. She flew towards the next tank and flipped over again with ease by using her magic.
The next tank got a clear shot of Izetta fired a round from its cannon. Within the split second, she noticed the round aiming towards her.
"Everyone!"
All the swords came together and weaved into a thick tile of metal. They slanted at an angle as the round impacted them. Although of the swords ended up bent, the cannon shell deflected into the air that startled the crew inside. The White Witch then proceeded to flip over the other tank as well.
The Eylstadt soldiers gazed in awe over the Witch's battle with the tanks. The armored vehicles gave them such a hard time that it almost felt impossible to win. But this little girl charged in and began flipping them over like they are nothing.
The Witches were also startled over this revelation. Gertrud was the most influenced as she wondered if the Witch has strength magic that outstripped her own. For once in her career, she found a hint of jealousy among the other Witches.
On the other hand, Francesca was nearly scared out of her mind while Erica had a soft, smug grin.
"Who the hell is this girl? Is she insane!?"
"I don't care; she's not the enemy."
Something else bothered them shortly after that. The Eylstadt soldiers were the first to discover it.
"Look over there!"
The Witches faced the fountains where a bright light shone at them. It blinked repeatedly at three different intervals, something that Gertrude knew was not coincidental. Francesca looked away from the light and yawned.
"It's just a blinking light."
"No, it's Morse."
Among the three Witches, only Gertrude could understand Morse Code. She translated the signal as it shone to everyone is Coenenberg, including the three Witches in the air.
"I am…Ortfine?"
By saying the name, the Eylstadt jumped as they focused on the light.
On the other side of the mountains, the light being shone was the nearby soldiers improvising to get a message across. They shone a bright light towards the battlefield and covered it with a wooden board create a type of message. They were already stunned to find Alice and Izetta working alongside their allies in defeating the enemy force. Fine decided to intervene by calling upon those on the battlefield to fight for her.
"My fellow soldiers and agents of Karsland. The two girls you see fighting are two of my greatest friends. The one with the red hair is my dearest of them all, and the second coming of the White Witch who protects us. Fight with them and protect the freedom of our nation!"
After Gertrude mentally translated the message, her mouth remained open and let the air dry up the inner walls of her cheeks. Of the two girls, she eyed on the mentioned red-haired girl who attacked a Panzer IV. She fired several shells on its armor with her anti-tank rifle, only to find it ineffective. She then got in front of the tank and charged her another shell with her magic to pierce through the tank.
"It…it can't be…"
"Trude?"
Upon hearing Erica call her by her nickname, she snapped back to reality. She went back to her squad mates.
"Hartmann, Lucchini, we're reloading and heading back immediately!"
"Huh!?"
Gertrude ignored Lucchini's shock as she eyed on the girls out on the battlefield.
She eyed on the other gun emplacements along the trenches as she gave orders.
"We will move forward and defend those two girls from enemy air attacks. Tell this to our agents nearby and prepare for another sortie!"
The Witches complied as they flew over the trenches. Some of the Eylstadt soldiers were confused for the moment. But the more senior officers knew what to do as they unmounted their weapons and moved out of the trench.
"You heard the lady! Let's get out there and fight for our Witch!"
As the soldiers charged with heightened morale, they ran out to open fire on the remaining Germanian infantry squads that were now without tank support. More enemy infantry remained helpless as Izetta literally threw the tanks into each other.
At another defensive line, Alice test herself against the enemy tank. She propelled herself with her flames as she homed in on a Panzer III. She concentrated vast amounts heat into one hand as it focused into a ball of fire. When she set her foot on the ground, she hurled the spherical ball of flame at the tank. At first, it looked like the tank absorbed the fireball. Moments later, the vents burst with flames as the entire tank chassis and turret exploded all at once.
Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, but Alice charged forward through the gunfire. She created another sword of hot flame with her right hand, and when she got close, she sliced the tank's chassis horizontally.
A squad of terrified Germanian soldiers opened fire on the Alice. She responded by rising into the air with her flame-based propulsion, using her wind power to blow their weapons into the air, then fired a wave of fire with her hands. Those who weren't immediately burnt to a crisp as their uniforms covered in fire. Alice then did the same thing to another squad of retreating soldiers.
One last tank, a Panzer IV from a neighboring tank platoon, fired a cannon shell near her position that nearly blew off her leg. Alice responded by cruising toward the tank again. But instead of a ball of flame, she concentrated all of the power into her right gauntlet. When she got to the front of the tank, she punched it with her empowered gauntlet.
Alice then returned to the trench where the Eylstadt forces watched. They wanted to call out to her as she nonchalantly returned to their position while the tank was still active. The Panzer IV aimed its cannon at her…just before the tank vented out sparks and exploded as well. The blast threw the tank's turret into the air and crashed onto the ground by her side, all while wearing a fearless smirk. She then turned around as she chased after the Germanian troops, causing the Eylstadt forces to follow up behind her.
Up in the air, the Witches from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing also launched their counterattack. They were busy dealing with the few remaining Germanian planes that still threatened the skies. Gertrud and Erica both got one more kill against a couple of Me 109s that engaged them. Both were gunned down through the propellers' engines and burst into flames. Francesca got another dive bomber that retreated, which crashed into a retreating Panzer III. They altogether intercepted the last three Me 109s that attacked them in three directions. They grouped together and spiraled into the air while deflecting the gunfire coming from their machine guns and reaching a far higher altitude. They then descended while performing a three-way helix. They all engaged the three remaining planes one at a time until all three were destroyed.
The skies were finally clear, and it was on the side of the Eylstadt forces, something that Witches never thought would happen. And they knew who to thank for assisting them in that, the red-haired Witch who continued throwing the below.
Of the three Witches from the 501st, Gertrude was the most influenced by the girl's actions, but not just by her magic. The message in Morse code flipped a switch somewhere in her brain. She always held a strong code of honor as a soldier of Karsland, but this was something far different. Rather than devotion to a country, it was that of a single person for someone who knew the legend of the White Witch, and she felt like she herself violated that code. If it's true, then she must respect that code, just like all Witches.
The battle started reaching to a close as the Eylstadt forces pressed on. Izetta and Alice continued to trash the tanks while the accompanying soldiers gunned down the enemy infantry. Izetta slammed another Panzer III deep onto the ground. Alice rammed into another and tore through its frame before incarnating another infantry squad. They together finished with an empowered anti-tank round and a fireball to take out the last Panzer III and Panzer IV each.
The two girls landed on the ground together as they observed their surroundings. The Germanian soldiers were on full retreat, and the Eylstadt soldiers had victory in their grasp. The two faced other as Alice commented.
"It looks like we did it."
"We did."
Izetta nodded as Alice turned back to the mountains.
"I think it's time you checked on the princess. I bet she's been worried while you were gone."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to stay around here and have a little more fun while were. You can relax while I continue giving this scum what they deserve!"
The unnerved Izetta nodded in agreement as she raised her rifle into the air and traveled back to the mountains. Alice, on the other hand, lit her flames again with glee as she took this battle elsewhere beyond.
The sun was already set as the battle concluded. At the start of the day, it looked hopeless for the Eylstadt troops and their Karsland allies. But that all changed in a matter of hours.
Dozens of scrapped tanks and aircraft covered the plains of Coenenberg. But most of these were not Renaults, but rather Germanian Panzers and Stuka dive bombers. Hundreds of corpses also laid on the ground, all of them wearing Germanian uniforms. Many were gunned down, but a large chunk of them were charred, boiled form inside, or even incinerated to the bone. And standing on top of those corpses and destroyed vehicles were Eylstadt troops.
Alice was among them all as she celebrated with the Eylstadt forces. A few moments before, the Germanian forces were either captured or in full retreat. She even heard rumors that the entire Germanian force, which occupied many towns on the other side of the river, started running away immediately after hearing the sudden defeat at the hand of two girls. Alice decided to kick them while they were down by burning several retreating Germanian soldiers and spend the next few hours destroying enemy tanks. She hoped that it wouldn't be long before the invading force hears about the sudden turn of events and start leaving the country altogether to avoid being wiped out. Her last act was incinerating a Germanian officer with her own hands who continued to fight, all in front of the Eylstadt troops. Although some found it unnerved over such a power, and the soldiers who were taken prisoner were scared out of their mind of such a power, it was drowned out by the many soldiers of the duchy that celebrated her efforts.
Alice currently leaned on a burning Panzer IV, surrounded by the Eylstadt troops who cheered for her efforts. In the middle of it all, she spoke to Tipler on the side, who remained hidden in her pouch.
"So, what do you say? You think I did a good job?"
"You are fearless for such a young girl, Alice-sama. Once again, I thought you would be dead for sure. But again, I was wrong."
"Oh, come on! I did good, didn't I?"
"Yes, yes, you did."
Alice returned to the soldiers as they went to her. They all asked her questions like how she managed to gain such powerful abilities, what was her home country, and how she managed to do it all without a Striker Unit. She got buried in so many questions and did have time to answer them all.
Alice got a glimpse of Izetta in the air. This time, Fine rode behind her just like last time. It was the perfect time for the Psionic to escape the barrage of questions aimed at her.
"Ah, here she comes!"
The soldiers heard her as they faced the Witch descending onto the top of the tank. Both girls got off the rifle to stand before the crowd. The soldiers saluted to the pair as they continued to cheer.
"To our heroes!"
"For our Witch!"
"Glory to Princess Ortfine!"
"To the freedom of Eylstadt!"
Alice took the time to get some space away from the men. She jumped up and got both hands on the tank's treads before pulling herself up. She rested on the edge as she congratulated the Witch.
"So, we finally did it! Didn't we, Izetta!?"
Izetta was happy, that was for sure. But at the same time, her eyes teared before the princess.
"I…I just couldn't stand it."
Fine wrapped her arms around the crying White Witch in comforting her.
"You're such a fool, Izetta…But, I'm glad that you're safe. Thank you…"
"Princess…"
Alice gave a smug look away from the two girls. Not that she pressured it, but they were awfully close for hugging each other after so long.
I swear there's more to those two girls than just a simple friendship.
Alice's train of thoughts broke as she heard someone barging through the soldiers. Izetta and Fine broke away from each other upon hearing chatter from the soldiers. They all heard a demanding voice coming through the crow.
"I must see this at once!"
Barkhorn carved a path through the Eylstadt soldiers to reach the tank. She was out of her Striker Unit and walked without legwear that made the soldier gaze on her. Erica followed on her right while Lucchini walked tirelessly on her right.
"Trude, what's going on here?"
"I was just about to relax for once. Why are we coming out here anyway!?"
Gertrud stopped just after reaching the center of the crowd. The soldiers did not know what was going on. They were a little cautious despite being Witches and part of a resistance movement. They were still from the nation that tried to conquer the duchy a few hours ago. The Flight Lieutenant called out to them.
"Is the Witch of Weisse Hexe here?"
The soldiers turned to Izetta. Even when they broke off and Izetta stepped forward, the princess remained close. The soldiers also had their weapons ready if she tried something funny.
What they did not expect afterward was Gertrude's next move. Rather than a challenge or drawing a gun, she went down on one knee and kneeled before Izetta. Even Erica, who idolized her, was surprised over her act. Francesca also let out a big "Eh?" over the officer's act.
"Trude, what are you…"
Gertrude silenced Erica by grabbing her arm. Her immense strength dragged her and Francesca down, each with only one hand. She pulled them both down until they landed on one knee and faced the ground like she was.
"Both of you, kneel! You are both standing in front of one who descends from the legendary Weisse Hexe!"
Francesca still did not understand what she meant, for she apparently never heard of such a clan until now. On the other hand, Erica nearly jumped over the name. Both she and Gertrude knew the legend. She gazed at the red-haired girl who blushed in shock and embarrassment. Francesca looked up, still oblivious to what happened, which share the same expression as Alice.
Fine stepped forward and called upon them to stand up.
"That is enough. You are at ease."
Gertrude was the first to rise, followed by her two subordinates.
"Forgive me, Princess of Eylstadt. Are you the one who watches over the White Witch?"
"I am. Please introduce yourself."
"Flight Lieutenant Gertrud Barkhorn, former officer of the Karsland Luftwaffe, agent of the Karsland resistance, and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing."
The Karsland officer turned her head. Erica and Francesca both shivered as they bowed and gave their own introductions.
"P-Pilot Officer Erica Hartmann, soldier of Karsland and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing!"
"P-P-Pilot Officer Francesca Lucchini of Sovrana Aeronautica Romagniana and member of 501st, Y-Your…your…Your Majesty!"
Alice still had no idea over the Witches' sudden behavior. Until a few moments ago, they looked like rough and tough soldiers who fought against their own people. But now, they completely cast their military rank aside and started worshipping the pair in front of them.
"Sorry, but what's going on here?"
Gertrude answered Alice as she turned to Fine and Izetta.
"As Witches, we are here to serve the White Witch and her royal companion of whom she serves. We devout our lives to you, Princess Fine and…"
"Izetta."
"And Izetta, Witch among Witches and clan among clans, Weisse Hexe!"
The Psionic girl remained confused over the matter. The soldiers around her began chanting what sounded like the national anthem of Eylstadt. The trio of Witches stood firm in front of Fine and Izetta, even when they took their eyes away from them. None of it helped Alice and even Tipler, who remained hidden from plain sight, took a peek outside the pouch to see what happened. Perhaps they had a lot more to learn from this matter than what they anticipated.
Inside the Archduke's bedroom, Schneider and Muller both received news about the recent victory against the Germanians. Schneider was surprised more than ever while Muller had his concerns as he remained on the phone.
"What!? The entire Germanian force is retreating!? Annihilated by two girls! And one is the Witch of Weisse Hexe? With Princess Fine!?"
"We need to know everything immediately, including the testimonies of all the soldiers involved."
"Who cares about that! What matters is that we won, right?"
Schneider celebrated as Muller hung up the phone. They both heard the weak voice of the Archduke, now completely unable to move, who seemed to overhear the entire conversation.
"Fine and the White Witch, huh?"
The old man tilted his head to the painting of the legendary woman with remaining energy. At last, he felt unimaginable joy in his long life.
"I…see…"
With happiness flowing through his lifeless body, he closed his eyes to go into a sleep of which he would never wake up. Not even with the screams of his trusted General calling out his name.
"Your Excellency….Your Excellency!"
And that's the end of Episode 3.
Now, for a few examples regarding the lists mentioned above.
One will be a list for Gertrud Barkhorn of Strike Witches:
Versus:
Preparing to engage Neuroi. (Vs Neuroi)
This is not the Empire I used to know… (vs Germania)
You dare dishonor the name of Karsland! (vs Germania)
I understand your obsession of taking down a Witch… (vs Bassler)
This dogfight will not belong to you, Captain Bassler (vs Bassler)
An unmanned machine can't stand against a human. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Just treat it like a Neuroi and automated machines are nothing. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Such a disrespectful way to conduct war… (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Damage:
Neuroi beams are nothing to me. (vs Neuroi, little/none)
To think they abandoned Witches for this (vs Germania, little/none)
The homeland has really fallen hard with this kind of attack (vs Germania, little/none)
Tsch…they sure know how to fight a Witch (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
What happened, how did they get this powerful? (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
Agh…you have become a powerful opponent, Bassler (vs Bassler, major w/ high health)
No…not with Chris still… (vs Neuroi, major w/ low health)
No, it can't end like this…Not with the homeland still… (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Have they really surpassed us? Damnit! (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Support:
Erica, fall back in line! (defend w/ Erica)
Stay behind, Weisse Hexe! (defend w/ Izetta)
Stand way and watch a real soldier of Karsland! (attack w/ Erica)
Weisse Hexe, let us fight with you! (attack w/ Izetta)
Death:
Wait…Chris, no! (vs Neuroi)
***
And another for Captain Bassler of Izetta.
Versus:
The only to defeat Witch will be me! (vs Izetta/501st)
Weisse Hexe or not, you are my enemy! (vs Izetta/501st)
Time to meet your end, White Witch! (vs Izetta)
I shall shoot a traitor like you from the sky! (vs Karsland Witches)
Gertrude Barkhorn, I challenge you to dogfight! (vs Gertrude)
That hat does not belong to you, Erica Hartmann! (vs Erica Hartmann)
Damage:
As expected from a Witch… (vs Izetta/501st, major w/ high health)
This isn't over yet, White Witch! (vs Izetta, major w/ low health)
Support:
Fall in line, soldier! (attack w/ Germania)
Death:
Err…My plane's taken too much damage!
I will not forget this! (vs Izetta/501st)
***
If you have other ideas, definitely share them.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
In the meantime, I'll be displaying some battle quote in the forums I conjure when writing this fic, much like how characters will have special quotes when fighting certain enemies in the SRW game. I'll be storing the lists of quotes for each character in each series on replied with respective threadmarks. I'll update them whenever I approve new quotes that people come up with, whether it be here on the forums or from reviews on FF.net.
There will be a list for each character, both good guys and bad guys, sorted by series. Each list will contain special quotes for confronting an opponent, receiving damage from an opponent (minimal/avoiding damage, major damage with high health, and major damage with low health), support from an ally (attacking and defending), and sometimes death. Therefore, that's seven lists in total.
I'll give a couple of examples later. For now, here's the chapter.
The fields of Coenenberg was never the type for a battlefield. And yet, it became one as Germanian forces advanced unopposed. Squads of infantry escorted columns of Panzer IIIs and IVs. The already crushed the Eylstadt's Renault tank columns, eliminating the entire armored division that stood at the vanguard. Now that was left standing in the way of conquering the city were the entrenched positions and whatever artillery batteries they had.
Unlike the tanks, the defensive positions proved to be more of a problem for the ground troops. Their cannons were useless in the trenches and machineguns had limited effectiveness. Without heavy weapons such as machine guns, the ground soldiers easily took care of them by throwing grenades into the trenches. However, there were still a lot of machinegun emplacements, which kept them advancing. They had to rely on their allies from above.
Up in the air were Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, all of which carried bombs under their wings in addition to two forward MG17s and one rear mounted MG15 machinegun. Their main purpose was to bomb the trenches so the tanks could advance, but even that was a problem. There were no Eylstadt planes to intercept them, but they were attacked by another threat, which was why they were brought in instead of twin-engine He-111 bombers.
Shortly below the Stukas was a twin-tailed, brown-haired girl in her late teens. Her uniform looked much like that used by Germania, except her emblem had an "X" instead of a dagger-like Balkenkruz. However, she did not wear any legwear. Instead, she wore machines on her legs that resembled propeller-driven aircraft that gave her flight. Furthermore, if her leg-attached machine were a real fight, then it would resemble Germania's own Falk-Wulf 190D-6. She even carried a Germanian-based MG42 with had two drum magazines attached to it. The bright aura around her showed she used magic flowing within her to wield the heavy weapon, also shown by her ears and tail like that from a Wirehaired Pointer dog.
Gertrude Barkhorn remained in place as she opened fire on a squadron of Stukas. Her stream of bullets tore through the wing of the leading Stuka, forcing the others to break away. She engaged another plane breaking to the right before she pursued it. The two Stukas on the left returned from their defensive split maneuver to get behind her. Anticipating this maneuver, she ascended to a higher altitude. Right when the planes pass, she performed a partial wingover by swooping down to trail behind all four planes.
As the plane's rear-mounted gunner opened fire, Gertrude put up a circular barrier of light in front of her. This shield deflected the gunfire that would have torn through her body otherwise. In the middle of the gunfire, she engaged in a scissor-like maneuver, strafing to the left and right as she engaged the Stuka. She luckily got the middle by the tail and sent it plunging to the ground.
The closest Stuka continued to open fire. One bounced off Gertrude's Striker Unit that knocked her off balance in the middle of firing. The leading Stuka did a pitchback to the right and faced Gertrude head-on. The Witch stopped moving to regain balance as the Stuka aimed at her. She attempted to project a shield from the anticipating gunfire as another stream of MG42 fire came from above. The attacking Stuka turned to break off, but the hail of bullets damaged by the left wing and back section, sending it flying into the ground.
The stream of bullets came from a short blonde girl. Her Striker unit resembled one of Germania's ME-109s, and she had ears like that of a Dachshund dog. Her uniform was like Gertrude's, except more for an enlisted officer. She was pretty laid back for a subordinate, much to the officer's ire, but she had it where it counted.
"You seem to have trouble, Trude."
"Don't lose sight of the enemy! There are more planes inbound, take them out before they bomb our allies on the ground!"
Another girl in a Striker Unit came in after flipping two loops backward. She was fair-skinned with two short, black twin-tails and ears of a black panther. She only wore a white button jacket instead of the Germanian-like uniforms of her two comrades. Her Striker Unit resembled a Romagna Fiat G-55.
Francesca Lucchini struggled to hold onto her Liberion-made M1919A6 machinegun as she regained balance. She was already getting tired over the countless waves of Germanian aircraft.
"Aggh, they just keep coming! When is this ever going to end!?"
"If we don't hold them off here, they will strike deep into Eylstadt territory and overwhelm the capital! We need to shoot down as many as we can and hold them off until the city evacuates."
Gertrude did not show it but also cursed the entire situation. Aside from having to fight her own countrymen, this whole battle was never for the sake of victory. It was so the citizens could escape the duchy, which was a long and slow process altogether.
"Our men on the ground say that the Eylstadt forces will launch an artillery barrage soon. Keep the enemy at bay and make sure they do not bomb their positions, especially their observation post in the mountains."
Gertrude then descended as Erica and Francesca followed her. They swooped in and attacked a Stuka about to drop its bombs, but the plane crashed into the entrenched position after shooting it down. A few more Stuka dropped their bombs before ascending. The Witches fired their weapon at the enemy planes with Erica and Gertrude destroying two more planes. Another two that completed their run fired their rear machineguns, forcing them to project their shields as they pursued. They behind one of the Stukas as it fired back. Erica and Francesca used Gertrude's shield as they performed a scissors maneuver and shot down one of the Stukas. After clearing the other Stuka's line of fire, the Witches approached it by the side as Gertrude destroyed the propeller. They broke off from the downed Stuka as they continued heading back to the mountains.
They performed low yo-yo maneuver together to gain speed as they flew over the ruined trenches. The Germanian Panzer IIIs continued to advance below as they fired with their turret and chassis-mounted machineguns. The Eylstadt forces and Karsland agents continued to fire back with their own machineguns as several of them got shot by their helmets.
Gertrude tightened her grip on her weapons a glared at the ground vehicles.
If only my MG151/20 had ammo, I would have done something about those tanks by now.
A shadow from the next wave of Stukas pass over Gertrude, causing her and her squad mates to break off as they gained altitude. Using their speed to their advantage, they made a quick strike from below and fired their machine guns at once. While Francesca had trouble until the last minute, each Witch managed to shoot down a Stuka each. They stopped to observe the downed Stuka crashing into the Germanian troops while the last two Stukas broke away.
The Witches were interrupted as gunfire came from above. Another squadron of Stukas descended to attack the girls, forcing them to put up their shields and accelerated. The leading Stuka trialed girl and fired its forward machineguns at them. A few bullets got Francesca and Gertrude by their guns, and another grazed the latter's wing, causing her to spiral for the moment. Another bullet nearly got Erica by the arm shortly after lowering her shield, only to fire back within machinegun fire into the plane's engine.
Two accompanying planes started to fire back as well, but the Witches stopped and put their shields to block the attacks. They slowed down their speed until they were sandwiched on both sides. While this was naturally disadvantageous for normal planes, the more mobile Witches remained safe from the life of fire including the Stukas' rear guns. They gunned down both Stukas closest to them while Gertrude got another one further outward. Francesca missed the last one that broke off and returned fire with its rear turret. The Romagna Witch panicked as he put a shield as Gertrude and Erica pursued. They fired their MG42s at the strafing dive bomber and nabbed it on the right wing. The Stuka then crashed into the cliff edge, not too far from the observation post.
The Witches stopped as they found the observation post still intact. No planes approached the cliff side so that the artillery could fire at any time now. They heard the rapid on the other side of the mountain, coming from the forests as they flew below the Witches. They noticed the shots drop down and pound the advancing Germanian forces. A few tanks got destroyed, although they were all only Panzer IIIs, and a few more Germanian squads were obliterated.
Gertrude sighed for the moment. They had been fighting since the afternoon, and before then, they traveled from an airport to the east just to get to Coenenberg. The entire battle was draining, and even with all the hard work, it wasn't as rewarding as it sounded. It was a lost cause from the start, and all they were doing was salvaging what they could at the expense of so many men. Even then, time was short, for them, their allies, and the civilians below.
Back at the fortress, Fine observed the battle from afar. The artillery bombardment damaged some of the tanks and hit many of the advancing Germanian forces, but that was only the first wave. Several more tank columns still advanced from behind with more infantry support. In the air, she observed the Karsland Witches battling against the Stuka dive bombers in the area. Their efforts were minimal but effective to a degree.
A blonde-haired Major of the Eylstadt forces reported to Fine as she observed.
"The artillery did a decent job hitting the armored columns. As of now, it looks like a stalemate from out here."
Fine still had some worry. The first bombardment might have done well, but how long will it last.
"Is there any hope they can win?"
"If we're lucky enough, we'll be able to buy time for the civilians to evacuate."
Those words shocked Fine as if it were the gentle answer of saying "no."
"Are you saying that we're only able to buy time!? Don't our people and Karsland forces even know that!?"
"They do, and they're fighting anyway."
Fine clinched her fists as the situation further overwhelmed her. Whether the soldiers were fighting or not, lives were being lost by the minute. What the point of saving lives if people were dying as of now, especially when the time being bought is too short to be worth it.
Buying time? We're losing lives just to buy time? Isn't there anything I can do…for the lives being lost this very minute?
A group of soldiers came up behind them.
"Princess, may you allow us to go to Coenenberg?"
The major stepped in to protest.
"No way."
"Our fellow soldiers are dying out there! We can't just stand by and watch!"
"You can't cross anything in front of the river without any equipment."
"We can just kill as many as possible, whether it be our rifles, knives, bayonets, or whatever! We lost our comrades at the fortress. We can't let them all die!"
"NO!"
Fine's scream startled the soldiers as they all drew their eyes on her.
"There's nothing we can do now!"
"But…"
"That's enough! The situation is dire, I know, but those fighting at Coenenberg are fighting to buy us time. When the time comes to withdraw, we must. Have you forgotten our real mission here? What are we risking our lives for? This is neither revenge nor a reckless challenge! It's to protect our people, and our families, is it not!? You must endure for now."
Fine did her best to keep composure, but the madness was more than enough he can bear. They noticed her breaking down in tears as she lectured them.
"I'm sorry, but as I am now, I can't even let you choose where to lay down your lives. At some point, I shall call upon you sacrifice yourselves, but now is not the time. My job is to create a country that lets you keep your eyes fixed on the future. I'm supposed to tell you not how to die, but how to live. That is my duty, and yet…"
"Princess…"
"Now, excuse me."
Fine turned away from the stunned soldiers. She stood strong for too long and did not want to show any weakness. But even with her back turned, she could feel all the soldiers pitying her, having nothing but words to deal with the crisis.
Forgive me…Forgive me for not being strong enough.
During the entire speech, Izetta hid by the tree, watching the princess in agony. Even with Fine's protests, Izetta could only see pain in her eyes. After all the times Fine saved her from her pain and despair she endured, the princess was able to endure that pain herself. The princess's pain was the same as hers.
She slowly snuck away from the soldiers, walking slowly back to the fortress. She always felt pain coming from herself, but pain coming from someone else was something else. She had to do something, something that would make the princess feel better. Then that way, she herself would feel better.
In the middle of the depression, Izetta heard a loud clang that brought her back to her senses. She jerked to the soldiers alongside Fine, who seemingly did not hear the loud metallic noise. The Witch then returned to where the sound originated, another part of a mansion with a door to the outside.
Just then, Alice stepped outside the mansion with clattering medieval lances that looked like large jousting lances. Alice nearly tripped over them with fastened armored boots. Alice regained her balance and had Tipler assist her in fastening two metal gauntlets for her arms.
The Psionic girl noticed the miserable Witch return to a depressing state, and she was not having any of it.
"Hey, White Witch! Are you just going to stay there and weep or what!?"
Izetta snapped to her senses.
"Alice?"
"I saw your eyes back there. You wish to help your princess save her country, don't you? Well, I found the perfect weapons to do it!"
She put her boot on one of the jousting lances that rolled along with her feet. Izetta stared at the lance but got distracted when Tipler fastened the ties to the boots as well.
"And what about those?"
The Witch pointed at the armor that Alice wore.
"Oh, these? I found these gauntlets and boots in this old armory here. My arm may be bandaged, but it's not broken. I can still fight with ease. Plus, the extra armor will keep this kind of injury from happening again."
The Psionic girl generated a large flame from her hand. It somewhat reminded her of how she checked the area for mana, all the way down to pumping her fist.
"And that's not all; I found a whole bunch of stuff you can use as weapons. The soldiers are in the middle of transporting them, so you better get them now before they're all gone."
Izetta walked over near Alice, who pointed through the doorway. She nearly tripped on the lances herself as she stumbled into the old building. What stood before her was a large array of medieval equipment. Swords, lances, knights' armor, chainmail, maces, and a large arsenal of other weapons stood in the gallery. It was more than enough for the White Witch to carry herself.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Alice went beside Izetta and placed her hand on her shoulder. Izetta took a quick look at Alice's hot-blooded grin before looking away. She checked the area for mana one last time, which displayed a huge virtual stone of energy. That was also more than enough for her.
"We'll do this for the Princess."
Both brought their fists together. As Tipler got back in her pouch, Alice brought her hands together with overwhelming confidence.
"That's right! Let's go kick some Germanian ass!"
The Witches continued firing their weapons at the enemy planes as they descended, but they were getting close to their limit. As Gertrude noticed, she was down her last clips, and it looked like Francesca and Erica were close to running out of ammunition as well. Furthermore, the enemy started bringing another wave of Stuka. This time, they had squadrons of Me-109s escorting them, which likely scrambled to deal with their presence. Either way, they were not going to last much longer.
Gertrude fired another salvo at the leading Stuka in another squadron. While she took it by destroying the propeller, the planes already started dropping their bombs on their target. The observation post was obliterated in their bombing run, which meant that the Eylstadt artillery battery was blind. Without a clear sight of the enemy positions, Coenenberg's flank was vulnerable for a push.
"Lieutenant, we've…"
"I know…"
Gertrude silenced Francesca's report as she listed out their options. As she observed the ground below, the Germanians were already breaching the last few lines of defense. Some of the soldiers including their agents even started to pull out with them. It was time for a retreat.
"All Witches, fall back! We've done enough."
"Trude…"
"That is an order. Our men are pulling out it's time we did, too."
Erica and Francesca complied as they flew towards the city. But in their path, machinegun fire flew in their direction. A squadron of Me 109s pursued them as they opened fire with their machine guns. Gertrude turned to fire back, but a couple struck her by the weapon and the arm respectively. It didn't hit anything major, but she found herself plunging downward.
"Trude!"
The Flight Lieutenant could hear Erica's voice as she struggled to regain balance. The Me-109 descended as it aimed towards her. She was about to aim her gun at the fighter until it exploded.
Unaware of what just happened, Gertrude took the take to regain her balance held steady just above the ground. Erica and Francesca also shielded their eyes from the blast, which nearly left them vulnerable to another set of Me 109s. Right when they covered their eyes, they found another girl soaring in the air with what looked two streaks of flame coming from metal gauntlets.
Alice disengaged her rocket-based propulsion to manifests two flames as if they were blowtorches. She used each hand to cut through both fighter planes and send them crashing to the ground.
Erica and Francesca stood braindead over what happened. They immediately wondered who this girl was and how she uses powers similar to blowtorches as swords and rocket-based propulsion from her hands to keep herself up. By all means, she was no ordinary Witch…that is if she was a Witch.
The Psionic girl turned to the two Witches. Gertrude rejoined them soon after as she greeted them.
"Guess I came just in time, eh?"
Gertrude eyed on the sudden savior. She was never any information about this girl, who made an introduction by wiping out three Me 109s with little effort. She demanded to know more about this girl.
"Identify yourself. What is your affiliation?"
"Come on, that's how you greet someone who saved you?"
Alice shook her head and sighed in frustration. She gave her introduction once again, although it was pretty forced.
"The name's Alice, Alice Alcubierre. And I'm here to protect you girls from these Germanian bad guys!"
"You think you can do all of this alone?"
Alice only chuckled as she turned to someplace else on the ground.
"As if! I got some help on the way, someone whose company you'll pretty much enjoy."
"A Witch, but how…"
A dual of explosions caught their attention. It was the same direction that Alice was facing, causing them all to look down. A Stuka dive bomber was just about to bomb another trench with Eylstadt soldiers before they all exploded at once. In the middle of all the smoke, they swore they could see sparkles trail behind a swarm of tiny medieval weapons.
As the smoke cleared, they found something unusually bizarre besides finding many large lances and nearly a hundred swords. Leading this swarm of deadly weapons was a young red-haired girl in an Eylstadt uniform who apparently controlled them with magic. It was another Witch who did not use a Striker Unit to fly and had dozens of weapons to the same.
"Everyone, now!"
The red-haired girl called out to the weapons as if they were living objects. The lances proceeded to wipe out all the enemy planes at the same time. Some planes were impaled multiple times, and some retaliated with by firing their rear-mounted guns. A few luckily broke the magic surrounding the lances and destroyed them, but a few more came in struck back.
The Witches from 501st stood in awe as the vast destruction of the enemy air fleet. More specifically, the gawked at the lances homing in on their targets, something that was impossible even with their current rocket launchers. They cover their eyes as the strange Witch soared past two more 109s as the swords shredded their wings and fuselages.
Her real target was one last Stuka trying to finish off Eylstadt's artillery batteries. Other than the swords, Izetta had only one lance to use that was the one she rode on.
"Go!"
The Witch imbued her lance with magic again as she hopped off. The last of the lances pierced the final Stuka dive by the wing, causing to crash harmlessly away from the mountainside. Izetta panicked a little as she fell from the sky. Only the handle piece of the broken lance saved her.
Although the Witch held on, Gertrude and the other Witches found her descending rapidly. They dived downward and accelerated fast to their location. Alice trailed behind them as they caught to their new friend.
"Give us your hand!"
"Grab on already, will ya!?"
Gertrude and Francesca offered their hands on both sides to the Witch. She found herself confused for the moment, which was she to fall off. They quickly retrieved both hands as they decelerated. As the girls from the 501st approached the ground, they stopped by the nearest trench and let go.
Alice checked to see if Izetta was okay after the encounter. Again, not bad, she thought to herself. She then watched over the Eylstadt soldiers who were stunned by both her and the red-haired Witch, especially a young blonde boy who dropped what looked like a family photo.
"Looks like we're late for the party."
Alice commented as she landed by a few older Eylstadt soldiers.
"And who are you?"
"We are heroes saving the say, that's what!"
Izetta groans as she pushed herself upward. The fall was long, but she still landed on the soft ground with her feet, causing her to land on her knees. The young soldiers and the older ones turned to her as she regained her senses.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The young boy asked the girl as she jerked.
"Y-yes, I'm fine!"
Alice sighed with relief as she approached her.
"Glad to hear it. It's a good thing you're still alive."
Gertrude still had much to ask from these two guests.
"What is going here!? Please state your purpose of being here!"
Alice retorted as she faced the advancing Germanian tanks and burning wreckage.
"I don't think you're in a position to talk like that. Besides, the enemy is not going to wait for our introductions either. Right, Izetta?"
Izetta looked away from the devastation. It was already so much for her to bear, even when she just all the enemy planes. However, Alice was right; there was still mare work that had to be done.
A bunch of swords then flew around the ground. The Eylstadt soldiers and 501st Witches remained started as Francesca?"
"Swords? In the air?"
"Sorry, I just found all of these weapons and will use them for the moment."
Izetta went to an anti-tank rifle mounted in the trench. She asked the soldier nearby who mounted it.
"Also, would you mind if I borrowed this?"
"Uh, no?"
"Sorry, I'll make it up to you later!"
Ignoring the soldier, she grabbed the anti-tank rifle and enveloped it with her magic. The soldiers stared in shock as the rifle lifted into the air while she rode on. Green sparkles trailed behind her as she took flight along with the enchanted swords.
Alice also walked forward as fire lit from her right gauntlet. She patted her pouch with the other to check on Tipler.
"You okay in there?"
"I'm fine, and Izetta-san also sounds okay."
"Just wanted to make sure. Now hold on again, things are going to get a little hot."
As Alice snuck away, the Witches and soldiers remained distracted over Izetta facing the enemy directly. She launched her swords to pelt the Panzer III that attacked a neighboring emplacement. The turret turned to her direction. The swords surrounded the tank as Izetta what the witnesses found unthinkable. By concentrating so much magic as the Witches could tell, she lifted the tank into the air and flipped it over, sending it crashing onto the ground upside down.
Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, prompting to call on her swords to deflect the bullets. She flew towards the next tank and flipped over again with ease by using her magic.
The next tank got a clear shot of Izetta fired a round from its cannon. Within the split second, she noticed the round aiming towards her.
"Everyone!"
All the swords came together and weaved into a thick tile of metal. They slanted at an angle as the round impacted them. Although of the swords ended up bent, the cannon shell deflected into the air that startled the crew inside. The White Witch then proceeded to flip over the other tank as well.
The Eylstadt soldiers gazed in awe over the Witch's battle with the tanks. The armored vehicles gave them such a hard time that it almost felt impossible to win. But this little girl charged in and began flipping them over like they are nothing.
The Witches were also startled over this revelation. Gertrud was the most influenced as she wondered if the Witch has strength magic that outstripped her own. For once in her career, she found a hint of jealousy among the other Witches.
On the other hand, Francesca was nearly scared out of her mind while Erica had a soft, smug grin.
"Who the hell is this girl? Is she insane!?"
"I don't care; she's not the enemy."
Something else bothered them shortly after that. The Eylstadt soldiers were the first to discover it.
"Look over there!"
The Witches faced the fountains where a bright light shone at them. It blinked repeatedly at three different intervals, something that Gertrude knew was not coincidental. Francesca looked away from the light and yawned.
"It's just a blinking light."
"No, it's Morse."
Among the three Witches, only Gertrude could understand Morse Code. She translated the signal as it shone to everyone is Coenenberg, including the three Witches in the air.
"I am…Ortfine?"
By saying the name, the Eylstadt jumped as they focused on the light.
On the other side of the mountains, the light being shone was the nearby soldiers improvising to get a message across. They shone a bright light towards the battlefield and covered it with a wooden board create a type of message. They were already stunned to find Alice and Izetta working alongside their allies in defeating the enemy force. Fine decided to intervene by calling upon those on the battlefield to fight for her.
"My fellow soldiers and agents of Karsland. The two girls you see fighting are two of my greatest friends. The one with the red hair is my dearest of them all, and the second coming of the White Witch who protects us. Fight with them and protect the freedom of our nation!"
After Gertrude mentally translated the message, her mouth remained open and let the air dry up the inner walls of her cheeks. Of the two girls, she eyed on the mentioned red-haired girl who attacked a Panzer IV. She fired several shells on its armor with her anti-tank rifle, only to find it ineffective. She then got in front of the tank and charged her another shell with her magic to pierce through the tank.
"It…it can't be…"
"Trude?"
Upon hearing Erica call her by her nickname, she snapped back to reality. She went back to her squad mates.
"Hartmann, Lucchini, we're reloading and heading back immediately!"
"Huh!?"
Gertrude ignored Lucchini's shock as she eyed on the girls out on the battlefield.
She eyed on the other gun emplacements along the trenches as she gave orders.
"We will move forward and defend those two girls from enemy air attacks. Tell this to our agents nearby and prepare for another sortie!"
The Witches complied as they flew over the trenches. Some of the Eylstadt soldiers were confused for the moment. But the more senior officers knew what to do as they unmounted their weapons and moved out of the trench.
"You heard the lady! Let's get out there and fight for our Witch!"
As the soldiers charged with heightened morale, they ran out to open fire on the remaining Germanian infantry squads that were now without tank support. More enemy infantry remained helpless as Izetta literally threw the tanks into each other.
At another defensive line, Alice test herself against the enemy tank. She propelled herself with her flames as she homed in on a Panzer III. She concentrated vast amounts heat into one hand as it focused into a ball of fire. When she set her foot on the ground, she hurled the spherical ball of flame at the tank. At first, it looked like the tank absorbed the fireball. Moments later, the vents burst with flames as the entire tank chassis and turret exploded all at once.
Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, but Alice charged forward through the gunfire. She created another sword of hot flame with her right hand, and when she got close, she sliced the tank's chassis horizontally.
A squad of terrified Germanian soldiers opened fire on the Alice. She responded by rising into the air with her flame-based propulsion, using her wind power to blow their weapons into the air, then fired a wave of fire with her hands. Those who weren't immediately burnt to a crisp as their uniforms covered in fire. Alice then did the same thing to another squad of retreating soldiers.
One last tank, a Panzer IV from a neighboring tank platoon, fired a cannon shell near her position that nearly blew off her leg. Alice responded by cruising toward the tank again. But instead of a ball of flame, she concentrated all of the power into her right gauntlet. When she got to the front of the tank, she punched it with her empowered gauntlet.
Alice then returned to the trench where the Eylstadt forces watched. They wanted to call out to her as she nonchalantly returned to their position while the tank was still active. The Panzer IV aimed its cannon at her…just before the tank vented out sparks and exploded as well. The blast threw the tank's turret into the air and crashed onto the ground by her side, all while wearing a fearless smirk. She then turned around as she chased after the Germanian troops, causing the Eylstadt forces to follow up behind her.
Up in the air, the Witches from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing also launched their counterattack. They were busy dealing with the few remaining Germanian planes that still threatened the skies. Gertrud and Erica both got one more kill against a couple of Me 109s that engaged them. Both were gunned down through the propellers' engines and burst into flames. Francesca got another dive bomber that retreated, which crashed into a retreating Panzer III. They altogether intercepted the last three Me 109s that attacked them in three directions. They grouped together and spiraled into the air while deflecting the gunfire coming from their machine guns and reaching a far higher altitude. They then descended while performing a three-way helix. They all engaged the three remaining planes one at a time until all three were destroyed.
The skies were finally clear, and it was on the side of the Eylstadt forces, something that Witches never thought would happen. And they knew who to thank for assisting them in that, the red-haired Witch who continued throwing the below.
Of the three Witches from the 501st, Gertrude was the most influenced by the girl's actions, but not just by her magic. The message in Morse code flipped a switch somewhere in her brain. She always held a strong code of honor as a soldier of Karsland, but this was something far different. Rather than devotion to a country, it was that of a single person for someone who knew the legend of the White Witch, and she felt like she herself violated that code. If it's true, then she must respect that code, just like all Witches.
The battle started reaching to a close as the Eylstadt forces pressed on. Izetta and Alice continued to trash the tanks while the accompanying soldiers gunned down the enemy infantry. Izetta slammed another Panzer III deep onto the ground. Alice rammed into another and tore through its frame before incarnating another infantry squad. They together finished with an empowered anti-tank round and a fireball to take out the last Panzer III and Panzer IV each.
The two girls landed on the ground together as they observed their surroundings. The Germanian soldiers were on full retreat, and the Eylstadt soldiers had victory in their grasp. The two faced other as Alice commented.
"It looks like we did it."
"We did."
Izetta nodded as Alice turned back to the mountains.
"I think it's time you checked on the princess. I bet she's been worried while you were gone."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to stay around here and have a little more fun while were. You can relax while I continue giving this scum what they deserve!"
The unnerved Izetta nodded in agreement as she raised her rifle into the air and traveled back to the mountains. Alice, on the other hand, lit her flames again with glee as she took this battle elsewhere beyond.
The sun was already set as the battle concluded. At the start of the day, it looked hopeless for the Eylstadt troops and their Karsland allies. But that all changed in a matter of hours.
Dozens of scrapped tanks and aircraft covered the plains of Coenenberg. But most of these were not Renaults, but rather Germanian Panzers and Stuka dive bombers. Hundreds of corpses also laid on the ground, all of them wearing Germanian uniforms. Many were gunned down, but a large chunk of them were charred, boiled form inside, or even incinerated to the bone. And standing on top of those corpses and destroyed vehicles were Eylstadt troops.
Alice was among them all as she celebrated with the Eylstadt forces. A few moments before, the Germanian forces were either captured or in full retreat. She even heard rumors that the entire Germanian force, which occupied many towns on the other side of the river, started running away immediately after hearing the sudden defeat at the hand of two girls. Alice decided to kick them while they were down by burning several retreating Germanian soldiers and spend the next few hours destroying enemy tanks. She hoped that it wouldn't be long before the invading force hears about the sudden turn of events and start leaving the country altogether to avoid being wiped out. Her last act was incinerating a Germanian officer with her own hands who continued to fight, all in front of the Eylstadt troops. Although some found it unnerved over such a power, and the soldiers who were taken prisoner were scared out of their mind of such a power, it was drowned out by the many soldiers of the duchy that celebrated her efforts.
Alice currently leaned on a burning Panzer IV, surrounded by the Eylstadt troops who cheered for her efforts. In the middle of it all, she spoke to Tipler on the side, who remained hidden in her pouch.
"So, what do you say? You think I did a good job?"
"You are fearless for such a young girl, Alice-sama. Once again, I thought you would be dead for sure. But again, I was wrong."
"Oh, come on! I did good, didn't I?"
"Yes, yes, you did."
Alice returned to the soldiers as they went to her. They all asked her questions like how she managed to gain such powerful abilities, what was her home country, and how she managed to do it all without a Striker Unit. She got buried in so many questions and did have time to answer them all.
Alice got a glimpse of Izetta in the air. This time, Fine rode behind her just like last time. It was the perfect time for the Psionic to escape the barrage of questions aimed at her.
"Ah, here she comes!"
The soldiers heard her as they faced the Witch descending onto the top of the tank. Both girls got off the rifle to stand before the crowd. The soldiers saluted to the pair as they continued to cheer.
"To our heroes!"
"For our Witch!"
"Glory to Princess Ortfine!"
"To the freedom of Eylstadt!"
Alice took the time to get some space away from the men. She jumped up and got both hands on the tank's treads before pulling herself up. She rested on the edge as she congratulated the Witch.
"So, we finally did it! Didn't we, Izetta!?"
Izetta was happy, that was for sure. But at the same time, her eyes teared before the princess.
"I…I just couldn't stand it."
Fine wrapped her arms around the crying White Witch in comforting her.
"You're such a fool, Izetta…But, I'm glad that you're safe. Thank you…"
"Princess…"
Alice gave a smug look away from the two girls. Not that she pressured it, but they were awfully close for hugging each other after so long.
I swear there's more to those two girls than just a simple friendship.
Alice's train of thoughts broke as she heard someone barging through the soldiers. Izetta and Fine broke away from each other upon hearing chatter from the soldiers. They all heard a demanding voice coming through the crow.
"I must see this at once!"
Barkhorn carved a path through the Eylstadt soldiers to reach the tank. She was out of her Striker Unit and walked without legwear that made the soldier gaze on her. Erica followed on her right while Lucchini walked tirelessly on her right.
"Trude, what's going on here?"
"I was just about to relax for once. Why are we coming out here anyway!?"
Gertrud stopped just after reaching the center of the crowd. The soldiers did not know what was going on. They were a little cautious despite being Witches and part of a resistance movement. They were still from the nation that tried to conquer the duchy a few hours ago. The Flight Lieutenant called out to them.
"Is the Witch of Weisse Hexe here?"
The soldiers turned to Izetta. Even when they broke off and Izetta stepped forward, the princess remained close. The soldiers also had their weapons ready if she tried something funny.
What they did not expect afterward was Gertrude's next move. Rather than a challenge or drawing a gun, she went down on one knee and kneeled before Izetta. Even Erica, who idolized her, was surprised over her act. Francesca also let out a big "Eh?" over the officer's act.
"Trude, what are you…"
Gertrude silenced Erica by grabbing her arm. Her immense strength dragged her and Francesca down, each with only one hand. She pulled them both down until they landed on one knee and faced the ground like she was.
"Both of you, kneel! You are both standing in front of one who descends from the legendary Weisse Hexe!"
Francesca still did not understand what she meant, for she apparently never heard of such a clan until now. On the other hand, Erica nearly jumped over the name. Both she and Gertrude knew the legend. She gazed at the red-haired girl who blushed in shock and embarrassment. Francesca looked up, still oblivious to what happened, which share the same expression as Alice.
Fine stepped forward and called upon them to stand up.
"That is enough. You are at ease."
Gertrude was the first to rise, followed by her two subordinates.
"Forgive me, Princess of Eylstadt. Are you the one who watches over the White Witch?"
"I am. Please introduce yourself."
"Flight Lieutenant Gertrud Barkhorn, former officer of the Karsland Luftwaffe, agent of the Karsland resistance, and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing."
The Karsland officer turned her head. Erica and Francesca both shivered as they bowed and gave their own introductions.
"P-Pilot Officer Erica Hartmann, soldier of Karsland and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing!"
"P-P-Pilot Officer Francesca Lucchini of Sovrana Aeronautica Romagniana and member of 501st, Y-Your…your…Your Majesty!"
Alice still had no idea over the Witches' sudden behavior. Until a few moments ago, they looked like rough and tough soldiers who fought against their own people. But now, they completely cast their military rank aside and started worshipping the pair in front of them.
"Sorry, but what's going on here?"
Gertrude answered Alice as she turned to Fine and Izetta.
"As Witches, we are here to serve the White Witch and her royal companion of whom she serves. We devout our lives to you, Princess Fine and…"
"Izetta."
"And Izetta, Witch among Witches and clan among clans, Weisse Hexe!"
The Psionic girl remained confused over the matter. The soldiers around her began chanting what sounded like the national anthem of Eylstadt. The trio of Witches stood firm in front of Fine and Izetta, even when they took their eyes away from them. None of it helped Alice and even Tipler, who remained hidden from plain sight, took a peek outside the pouch to see what happened. Perhaps they had a lot more to learn from this matter than what they anticipated.
Inside the Archduke's bedroom, Schneider and Muller both received news about the recent victory against the Germanians. Schneider was surprised more than ever while Muller had his concerns as he remained on the phone.
"What!? The entire Germanian force is retreating!? Annihilated by two girls! And one is the Witch of Weisse Hexe? With Princess Fine!?"
"We need to know everything immediately, including the testimonies of all the soldiers involved."
"Who cares about that! What matters is that we won, right?"
Schneider celebrated as Muller hung up the phone. They both heard the weak voice of the Archduke, now completely unable to move, who seemed to overhear the entire conversation.
"Fine and the White Witch, huh?"
The old man tilted his head to the painting of the legendary woman with remaining energy. At last, he felt unimaginable joy in his long life.
"I…see…"
With happiness flowing through his lifeless body, he closed his eyes to go into a sleep of which he would never wake up. Not even with the screams of his trusted General calling out his name.
"Your Excellency….Your Excellency!"
And that's the end of Episode 3.
Now, for a few examples regarding the lists mentioned above.
One will be a list for Gertrud Barkhorn of Strike Witches:
Versus:
Preparing to engage Neuroi. (Vs Neuroi)
This is not the Empire I used to know… (vs Germania)
You dare dishonor the name of Karsland! (vs Germania)
I understand your obsession of taking down a Witch… (vs Bassler)
This dogfight will not belong to you, Captain Bassler (vs Bassler)
An unmanned machine can't stand against a human. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Just treat it like a Neuroi and automated machines are nothing. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Such a disrespectful way to conduct war… (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Damage:
Neuroi beams are nothing to me. (vs Neuroi, little/none)
To think they abandoned Witches for this (vs Germania, little/none)
The homeland has really fallen hard with this kind of attack (vs Germania, little/none)
Tsch…they sure know how to fight a Witch (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
What happened, how did they get this powerful? (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
Agh…you have become a powerful opponent, Bassler (vs Bassler, major w/ high health)
No…not with Chris still… (vs Neuroi, major w/ low health)
No, it can't end like this…Not with the homeland still… (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Have they really surpassed us? Damnit! (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Support:
Erica, fall back in line! (defend w/ Erica)
Stay behind, Weisse Hexe! (defend w/ Izetta)
Stand way and watch a real soldier of Karsland! (attack w/ Erica)
Weisse Hexe, let us fight with you! (attack w/ Izetta)
Death:
Wait…Chris, no! (vs Neuroi)
***
And another for Captain Bassler of Izetta.
Versus:
The only to defeat Witch will be me! (vs Izetta/501st)
Weisse Hexe or not, you are my enemy! (vs Izetta/501st)
Time to meet your end, White Witch! (vs Izetta)
I shall shoot a traitor like you from the sky! (vs Karsland Witches)
Gertrude Barkhorn, I challenge you to dogfight! (vs Gertrude)
That hat does not belong to you, Erica Hartmann! (vs Erica Hartmann)
Damage:
As expected from a Witch… (vs Izetta/501st, major w/ high health)
This isn't over yet, White Witch! (vs Izetta, major w/ low health)
Support:
Fall in line, soldier! (attack w/ Germania)
Death:
Err…My plane's taken too much damage!
I will not forget this! (vs Izetta/501st)
***
If you have other ideas, definitely share them.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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Special Quotes: Strike Witches - Gertrude Barkhorn
NOTE: This is only for special quotes that people conjure, propose, and are approved as part of a fun project regarding this fic. This will be put in a different group of threadmarks compared to the main story. The list of threadmarks will also be posted in the Prologue.
Strike Witches - Gertrude Barkhorn
Versus:
Preparing to engage Neuroi. (Vs Neuroi)
This is not the Empire I used to know… (vs Germania)
You dare dishonor the name of Karsland! (vs Germania)
I understand your obsession of taking down a Witch… (vs Bassler)
This dogfight will not belong to you, Captain Bassler (vs Bassler)
An unmanned machine can't stand against a human. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Just treat it like a Neuroi and automated machines are nothing. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Such a disrespectful way to conduct war… (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Damage:
Neuroi beams are nothing to me. (vs Neuroi, little/none)
To think they abandoned Witches for this (vs Germania, little/none)
The homeland has really fallen hard with this kind of attack (vs Germania, little/none)
Tsch…they sure know how to fight a Witch (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
What happened, how did they get this powerful? (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
Agh…you have become a powerful opponent, Bassler (vs Bassler, major w/ high health)
No…not with Chris still… (vs Neuroi, major w/ low health)
No, it can't end like this…Not with the homeland still… (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Have they really surpassed us? Damnit! (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Support:
Erica, fall back in line! (defend w/ Erica)
Stay behind, Weisse Hexe! (defend w/ Izetta)
Stand way and watch a real soldier of Karsland! (attack w/ Erica)
Weisse Hexe, let us fight with you! (attack w/ Izetta)
Death:
Wait…Chris, no! (vs Neuroi)
Strike Witches - Gertrude Barkhorn
Versus:
Preparing to engage Neuroi. (Vs Neuroi)
This is not the Empire I used to know… (vs Germania)
You dare dishonor the name of Karsland! (vs Germania)
I understand your obsession of taking down a Witch… (vs Bassler)
This dogfight will not belong to you, Captain Bassler (vs Bassler)
An unmanned machine can't stand against a human. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Just treat it like a Neuroi and automated machines are nothing. (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Such a disrespectful way to conduct war… (vs Unmanned Weapon)
Damage:
Neuroi beams are nothing to me. (vs Neuroi, little/none)
To think they abandoned Witches for this (vs Germania, little/none)
The homeland has really fallen hard with this kind of attack (vs Germania, little/none)
Tsch…they sure know how to fight a Witch (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
What happened, how did they get this powerful? (vs Germania, major w/ high health)
Agh…you have become a powerful opponent, Bassler (vs Bassler, major w/ high health)
No…not with Chris still… (vs Neuroi, major w/ low health)
No, it can't end like this…Not with the homeland still… (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Have they really surpassed us? Damnit! (vs Germania, major w/ low health)
Support:
Erica, fall back in line! (defend w/ Erica)
Stay behind, Weisse Hexe! (defend w/ Izetta)
Stand way and watch a real soldier of Karsland! (attack w/ Erica)
Weisse Hexe, let us fight with you! (attack w/ Izetta)
Death:
Wait…Chris, no! (vs Neuroi)
Special Quotes: Izetta - Bassler
NOTE: This is only for special quotes that people conjure, propose, and are approved as part of a fun project regarding this fic. This will be put in a different group of threadmarks compared to the main story. The list of threadmarks will also be posted in the Prologue.
Versus:
The only to defeat Witch will be me! (vs Izetta/501st)
Weisse Hexe or not, you are my enemy! (vs Izetta/501st)
Time to meet your end, White Witch! (vs Izetta)
I shall shoot a traitor like you from the sky! (vs Karsland Witches)
Gertrude Barkhorn, I challenge you to dogfight! (vs Gertrude)
That hat does not belong to you, Erica Hartmann! (vs Erica Hartmann)
Damage:
As expected from a Witch… (vs Izetta/501st, major w/ high health)
This isn't over yet, White Witch! (vs Izetta, major w/ low health)
Support:
Fall in line, soldier! (attack w/ Germania)
Death:
Err…My plane's taken too much damage!
I will not forget this! (vs Izetta/501st)
Versus:
The only to defeat Witch will be me! (vs Izetta/501st)
Weisse Hexe or not, you are my enemy! (vs Izetta/501st)
Time to meet your end, White Witch! (vs Izetta)
I shall shoot a traitor like you from the sky! (vs Karsland Witches)
Gertrude Barkhorn, I challenge you to dogfight! (vs Gertrude)
That hat does not belong to you, Erica Hartmann! (vs Erica Hartmann)
Damage:
As expected from a Witch… (vs Izetta/501st, major w/ high health)
This isn't over yet, White Witch! (vs Izetta, major w/ low health)
Support:
Fall in line, soldier! (attack w/ Germania)
Death:
Err…My plane's taken too much damage!
I will not forget this! (vs Izetta/501st)
Episode 4-1
Time for Episode 4. Here, we finally get to another plot of another work other than Izetta. Well, the story will still follow Izetta, but it will not be the main focus for the next few chapters.
This will be separated into three parts again as usual.
Nighttime covered the nearby castle in Eylstadt. Two weeks passed since the battle at Coenenberg that devastated its green fields, but the nation recently returned to a normal state…if only it weren't for a special occasion.
The citizens gathered around a brightly lit up town square. A well-dressed Princess Fine kneeled before three old men by a church. Two men on the sides held a book and a scepter while the man on the center held a sword in front of her. The three Witches of the 501st watched the ceremony from behind as the man in the center began.
"Ortfine Fredericka, the Archduchess will be the Lady of Landsbruck, and guardian of its valleys and roads. She will be the liberator of the Alps and the ruler of Eylstadt. I ask you, are you prepared to receive that title?"
"I am."
"Do you swear to offer yourself up to the service of the land and its people?"
"I swear."
"Then kiss the blade that is the soul of our ancestors and make your vow."
And kiss she did. She took the sword in her hands as the old man congratulated.
"Blessings upon the new Archduchess of Eylstadt!"
The crowd roared with cheers as they praised their new ruler. Alice, on the other hand, stood by the corner with Tipler peeking from her pouch. While she gained the trust of the new Archduchess of Eylstadt and Izetta, she was still a stranger among the people of this country. Her presence would come out as odd, not to mention risk revealing Tipler.
Alice talked to the said Murlock as she observed.
"So she's finally done it."
"To think that her father died, right before she came home…"
"I was sure she would get over it at some point. From what I understand, he lived a long life running and protecting this country. Can't say I have anything against him."
"Why do you have to be so callous?"
"A-Am I really being that?"
"The girl must be suffering hard right now. She must be putting up a face just to calm the people."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Am I wrong?"
"No, but you're saying that like she was forced to serve the people at her own expense. I may not be royalty, but even I get the feeling she's doing this because she wants to protect the people. Just like how we want to save the world."
Tipler remained silent. He doubted that saving the world is what Alice desired, but he never thought about the princess being willing to sacrifice her life for the people either. And that's not all as Alice stated.
"We both know she's not alone. In fact, she could have the best friend anyone could have."
At that moment, Fine went to the crowd and called to the masses who gathered around her.
"Fellow people of Eylstadt, people of the Allied nations, and all of humanity. Hear me. As of now, humanity is being engulfed in the flames of war. Throughout the world, nations and cities are ravaged by the threat of the Neuroi, which consume the planet's land and attack indiscriminately."
Alice could visualize, like a black-and-white film, the Neuroi appearing as they did decades ago. They emerged from the black clouds resembling black planes before firing red beams from the red spots dotted around their craft that tore through historic landmarks and cities.
"Yet even with the power of the current Witch clans, madness and disaster continued. The people of the European continent can attest to that well, as the Empire of Germania abandons its kin in its quest for world domination. In this nation of Eylstadt, the loss of my father, the former Archduke, was a grave blow in such a dire hour. I'm sure that there are some who wonder if a young, inexperienced girl such as myself can take the helm of state in such a situation."
The next visual was the marching soldiers of Germania who invaded Livonia and Galia. She could picture the infantry and tanks firing their weapons at scores of civilians and outright executing them without hesitation. She snapped back into reality as Fine declared.
"But my people, be not afraid! We have a guardian who is every bit the equal of this ancient sword of our ancestors!"
The Archduchess raised her sword into the air.
"Let me introduce you. A Witch adored and honored by all Witch clans throughout the world. The descendant of the legendary White Witch, the guardian of Eylstadt! My friend, Izetta of Weisse Hexe!"
The sword in her hand hovered into the air and radiated waves of energy before the people. Alice smirked from the side as she anticipated what came next. Large cameras started flashing, and the reporters quickly replaced lightbulbs that burnt out.
They witnessed Izetta flying by with a large anti-tank rifle. Unlike the last time she made an appearance, Izetta wore a white gown that resembled the one used by the legendary Weisse Hexe. Her weapon was a creation from Suomus, customized with a seat and handlebars for her personal use. She stunned the reporters as she used the flying sword cut down the nearby stone pillars and sent them crumbling to the ground.
"Some of you may have caught wind of this. You have heard rumors or outright witnessed a single Witch who shot down the invading army's planes one after another and destroyed their waves of tanks, thus defending the fortress of Coenenberg. These rumors are true. Her power surpasses the latest of human-made weapons and outstrips that possessed by all other Witches."
Fine raised her hands to Izetta as she flew above. Gertrude also raised their arms to the side as the three Witches levitated in the air. Francesca and Erica were just as surprised as the reporters who witnessed them. They found their Striker Units and weapons coming towards them, grabbed their armaments and readied their legs for insertion. They sprouted their familiars' ears and tails as they started their propellers immediately in midflight.
"Even now, the Witch clans of Europe bow before her power and honor her wishes no matter what the cost may be, the defense of Eylstadt and its people!"
Izetta descended to the Archduchess as she offered her hand. The two rose up together as did the book and scepter in the other old men's hands. The new ruler of Eylstadt raised her sword as she announced.
"I say to my beloved people, and the world. Anyone who dares to threaten witch kind or this very principality is an enemy to all Witch clans, and shall face the wrath of the White Witch, the Witch among Witches and highest of all clans, Weisse Hexe!"
Alice remained confident throughout the entire ceremony. She was certain that this was going to go smoothly, especially with herself out of the way. However, it did seem off that she managed to pull this all off within a couple of weeks. She guessed that the now crowned Archduchess was really determined to make an impression for her people.
However, the Psionic girl noticed another woman peeking behind elsewhere. She was a woman with blonde hair tied to a bun with some red streaks at the front. Alice pointed her out well thanks to her black and red fur coat and large round glasses.
"That's perfect. Calm and composed, just like we planned."
Alice could hear those words muttering from the woman. She did not know what she meant and wanted to investigate, but she was a big yawn coming. Her mind switched to waiting for the ceremony to end, so she finally can get some sleep.
---
The sun shone over the capital of Germania. The original capital of what used to be Karsland became a hive for the Neuroi that made itself home in the nation's territory. Even with its presence, the fact it never touched the majority of the people meant an uneasy relationship between the two. That was especially so with the militaristic architecture of the new capital.
The palace of Neue-Berlin displayed its might with lines of anti-air batteries in the courtyard. Armed guards, armored cars, and tanks patrolled the streets. The Kaiser who ruled the nation was not alone either as lines of commanding officers and soldiers stood before him.
"Commander Grosskopf, I heard that you issued a full retreat from the Duchy of Eylstadt. Care to explain why?"
Kaiser Otto, the ruler of Germania, rested on the arm of his throne. He spoke to a bald army officer who bowed before him. The man was called upon to face the Kaiser a few weeks after he ordered the entire force to retreat.
"Your Majesty, we regret to inform you that the force responsible for invading Eylstadt…was annihilated."
"Annihilated?"
"Nearly our entire force was wiped out, and all forward bases fell as a result. We had no choice but to withdraw from the nation completely."
"And why is that?"
"It wasn't Eylstadt's troops, nor the Karsland resistance fighters. They apparently have some kind of secret weapon! No, two secret weapons at that!"
"Two secret weapons? Are you sure they're not standard Witches?"
"They weren't ordinary Witches, Your Majesty! Neither of them!"
"Oh? Care to explain."
"The first of which was a young blonde girl who manipulated fire and wind, wiping out soldiers with effort."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, she did not even have a Striker Unit, yet she destroyed a large portion of our force with her own hands! The infantry was burned alive, and her power easily crushed the armored battalion! She attacked our headquarters, too, and would have gotten all of us should we have remained there!"
The Kaiser remained silent, waiting for him to finish his report.
"And the other one?"
"Well…the soldiers say the other one was a little girl flying on a rifle. The Eylstadt soldiers seem to worship her as some kind of White Witch. Even the Karsland forces bowed before her!"
The Kaiser's silence made Grosskopf panic even more as he acted desperately.
"It's true! Everyone said the same thing! The Witches and Eylstadt soldiers called out her name. We even noticed a Morse signal telling them that she's the next of coming of Weisse Hexe!"
"Weisse Hexe..."
Upon hearing that name, it took a few seconds before chuckling. He burst into laughter as if he heard a joke. His hysterics made the bowing officer confused and nervous at the same time. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the Kaiser turned to his aide, a blonde man in a noble blue uniform.
"Did you hear that, Elliot? To think we actually found her, the legendary Witch of Weisse Hexe!"
"The reports already show she's the real deal."
"Of course, we already have the news right here."
The Kaiser took a stash of newspapers out from the side. Although it was an Allied newspaper, it showed photos of the Archduchess's coronation followed by the introduction of the White Witch. He faced the bald officer as he displayed the papers.
"Lieutenant General, the information from you and your men is more than believable. No severe punishment will be conducted."
Grosskopf showed joy, which was crushed when the Kaiser continued.
"However, as the commanding officer responsible for the invasion, I'm taking away your lands. You will be demoted from your rank and set as the head of a prison camp."
The officer now sweated and the Kaiser noticed the man shaking over his punishment.
"What's wrong? Do you protest? I have three new camps being opened in Livonia, so you're free to pick whichever you choose."
"O-Of course not! T-Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Very well, you are dismissed."
The now-former Lieutenant General marched out of the room. It was now only the Kaiser, his aide, and his other generals. The ruler of Germania, however, only conversed with his aide.
"We'll have to reconsider many of our plans."
"From the tone of your voice, you must be very enthusiastic. First, you challenge the standing of Witches in the modern era, and now you are going against two new adversaries, one of them being the Witch who rules them all."
"My blood has been boiling since we confirmed her existence. I want this legendary Witch captured alive."
"Your Majesty, if I may speak."
"Of course. That's why you're here, Elliot."
"Our original objective in the invasion of Eylstadt was to secure a passage to the southern states of Romagna and Venezia, which have now fallen into civil unrest. That way, we will have an easier way to send troops into the Mediterranean and Africa. Please don't forget that."
"You are right. But with Eylstadt revealing the presence of the White Witch, the clans throughout the world obey her command and that of the Archduchess. Capturing the nation is no longer possible for us."
"Understood. Now that the Eylstadt is out of reach, we should prioritize defeating and capturing the Witch of Weisse Hexe."
"Our agent has already interrogated the soldiers who retreated from Eylstadt and is currently seeking recruits. It won't be long before we can make our move against the Witch."
Elliot nodded as he continued.
"If I may suggest."
"Go ahead."
"For now, only a few clans appear to support the White Witch. Even if Eylstadt gains support from those within their military, the Allies have not fully dedicated their support. It is likely that they'll send her away from Eylstadt to display her power."
The Kaiser went back to the newspaper as he eyed on the photos showing three girls kneeling before Izetta and Fine.
"Indeed, and the Witches appear to be Karsland agents."
"Gertrude Barkhorn, Erica Hartmann, and Francesca Lucchini. Former members of our old nation's military and allying countries."
"I always knew they would put a fight against our new force, but to think they would cast their lot with the White Witch immediately upon her discovery. This will an interesting fight indeed."
Kaiser Otto laughed once again as he gave his next order.
"Call back Major Berkman. We will postpone all operations regarding Eylstadt and suspend our offensive action against the Allies for now. We shall take this time to reorganize our troops and rebuild our forces for what is to come."
"And what if the Allies decide to take action?"
"That will not be necessary for they, too, are reeling from the recent attacks. And besides, we still have the backing of…them."
Elliot remained silent, understanding what he meant.
The next day, the newly crowned Archduchess and Izetta awoke within the main palace of Landsbruck. After the ceremony, they immediately returned to the capital, although they insisted in walking there instead of using Izetta's flight magic. Everyone else returned to the palace to sleep. The Psionic girl and her Murlock pet, which no one saw enter the building, were also given a room in the far corner of the palace.
"Do you think our guest is alright?"
The words came from another woman who stood beside Izetta and Fine. To all of Eylstadt, she was the commander of Eylstadt's royal guard, composed of all women who now served the Archduchess. They watched the door to the Psionic girl's given room for it remained locked throughout the morning. Fine wondered how Alice managed to sleep well past morning hours that she unknowingly missed breakfast.
"She has been asleep for a long time now, but she was up long past midnight, I would not expect her to wake up at a normal time."
"Shall I knock on the door then?"
"There is no need, Bianca. She is our guest here as much as Izetta, please do not intrude her."
But someone else thought otherwise. A young girl passed them, carrying a stepstool with towels on top of them. She banged on the door loudly to the anxiety of Fine.
"WAKE! UP! OUR! GUEST!"
"Lotte, please, do not…"
The door opened up with a loud slam. The girls flinched as a tired Alice appeared in front of them. She remained in the same clothes as before, not caring how much she likely dirtied the bed. The girl yawned out to them as she stretched her arms around.
"Boy, I never thought that staying up until midnight would make me ever so sleepy."
Her pet then hopped over to Alice's side as he complained.
"I kept trying to wake you up, Alice-sama. But even the maids here don't seem to hear me."
Fine jumped over how the Murlock simply showed himself without thinking. She could view the faces of Bianca and Lotte without actually seeing them.
"T-Tipler?"
"Please forgive her, miss. Even I did not know…hm?"
The Murlock turned to what was why Fine jumped. He caught the eyes of the young maid girl who left her eyes wide open. She dropped her stool, which slid its towels towards Tipler as it fell over.
"A-a-a-a…"
After a few moments, Lotte let out a loud squee. She immediately wrapped her arms around Tipler and hugged him right up to her chest.
"Whaa?"
Alice also jumped over what the little maid just did.
"Tipler!"
"Lotte, what are you doing!?"
Lotte ignored Alice and Bianca as she continued cuddling the little being.
"It's a cute little rabbit!"
Fine intervened first as she placed her hand by her arms.
"Lotte, please let him go!"
The maid jerked to the Archduchess in anxiety. She spontaneously dropped Tipler onto the rug as she ran away.
"Forgive me for not knowing you had a pet! Please let me get a bed mat right away!"
"Lotte…"
Tipler shook in frustration as he stood back right-side up. He could not understand the maid's infatuation with him. Since when did people find him so cute? Even Alice did not understand either as she gazed at the maid beside Fine.
"What's with that girl?"
"Lotte is my personal maid. Forgive her for being…"
"A little airheaded?"
Fine nodded as she turned to her commander of the royal guard.
"Bianca, please get Lotte to calm down. We will take care of things from here."
"U-Understood, Princess."
The royal guard bowed before walking down the hallway. Now it was only Alice, Tipler, Fine, and Izetta together again. The Archduchess and White White turned to Alice as she picked up Tipler and placed him her pouch.
"In any case, that sure was a nice sleep! I never had such a soft bed in my life! And you, Tipler?"
"Yes, it was…very nice, Alice-sama."
For once, Fine gave a little smile to the duo.
"Do you ever have any beds like this? Guess not since technology seems nonexistent in your world."
Tipler shook his head.
"On the contrary, my former master had one during the time she took care of me."
"Former master? I guess that's how you manage to come from the future. What was life exactly like before then?"
"It was…miserable."
"I mean…how miserable?"
Everyone listened in on Tipler as they went down the hallway together.
"To know that, you must understand the system that traps the Murlocks in a terrible cycle. You see, my entire species operates as a hive. My former master told me to think about ants or bees."
Fine was the only one who could figure that out easily.
"Ants and bees…You mean like a queen bee, right?"
"She breeds many of us male Murlocks who do all the hard labor. That includes harvesting, digging, and mating with the Queen to make more of us, including the next Queen to take her place. She is also the only one who can outlive the rest of us."
Izetta wondered what Tipler meant by that.
"How long exactly?"
"Over 60 years."
The other girls jumped over that statement. For normal rabbits, they would only live for at least a couple decades at best. But now, they see a creature who outlives them more than four times. Alice was the most shocked as someone who did not learn much about nature while Fine was even more intrigued.
"60 years!?"
"And how long do you normally live for?"
Tipler did not understand why they jumped over his sudden life expectancy but went to Fine's question.
"Around the same amount. However, due to circumstances, we only live for around for 20 years."
"Why is that? Did the Vilag do something to you people?"
Tipler nodded in regret.
"The Vilag use us for all sort of things. Above all, they use us as slave labor…and food."
Alice felt odd about the last part. Perhaps that's why Tipler stuttered over that last part.
"Food? You don't look like much for a meal."
"Not at my age, no. Even now, I'm still a child at around seven years. If we were to grow old enough, we would stand as tall as that maid girl who picked me up."
Alice wiped the sweat off her head. The others were just as surprised as she was.
"Sorry, that's beyond my comprehension."
"Forgive me; I never thought you would understand."
Fine continued in pressing the matter.
"Setting that aside, you say they use you for slave labor. What kind of labor?"
"They used us only for the basic needs including farming and creating paper. At an age of 30 years when we can no longer mate, the Vilag farm and slaughter us for food. And with their control of the queens and my people, none are even missed."
Izetta felt the most pit of the group.
"That's horrible..."
Fine felt the most anger among them.
"You may look like a little rabbit, but you have many characteristics close to a…human. And you're saying these Vilag just treat you like a bunch of….cattle?"
Tipler responded in shame.
"We had no other choice. Our kind is conditioned to treat the Vilag as if they were just like this White Witch. Otherwise, they would feed us to the Hunterbeasts and easily slaughter us, just like they did in their rebellion."
Alice twitched over the last word Tipler said.
"Rebellion?"
"According to my former master, there was a time when one of our own tried rebelling against our Vilag masters. It failed and resulted in a cruel punishment to those who did not bow to them."
"Do you know what kind of punishment?"
Tipler shook his small head. As much as Fine wanted to contain her anger, she had another question in mind.
"If I may ask, how did your former master find you?"
Tipler was hesitant at first. But the Archduchess and Witch could tell it was not easy for him to explain.
"My former master said she found me when wandering in our colony grounds. She said that I was very precious to her and raised me like a friend. She would teach me things from this very language I speak to the civilization of the Vilag."
Alice merely gave a positive reaction as he petted the Murlock.
"Almost sounds like she wants to liberate you, just like how the Karsland girls want to liberate their land and protect our little White Witch. Isn't that right, Archduchess?"
"Well…"
As per speak of the devil, four more figures came up. Gertrude Barkhorn led the group, flanked by her two squadmates.
"Weisse Hexe, we have finally found you."
They gave way to the other woman as the Lieutenant turned to Fine.
"Forgive us, Archduchess, but we found someone who wishes to speak to Weisse Hexe."
Alice and Tipler both gazed at the woman. She was the same one they found peeking around during the coronation ceremony. She gave off a far friendlier vibe compared to her more skeptical action last night.
"Looks like our girls are all ready to go. That was a perfect performance out there, more than enough to convince the people of your spectacular might!"
Alice was still unsure who exactly this girl was. Fine stepped forward to introduce the woman.
"This is Elvira Friedman, my personal tutor. She is a journalist who works with various newspapers and radio stations throughout Liberion. She is also the one who handles the advertising of Izetta as the second coming of Weisse Hexe."
"Advertising?"
Alice answered to Izetta as she patted her head.
"It means that you're a world celebrity now. Everyone around the world knows of your existence, including your power as a Witch."
"Celebrity?"
Elvira instead focused on the Psionic girl and her little companion. She sized up the girl and went as far as measuring her breasts to her embarrassment and poking her finger around Tipler.
"And look at we have here? We got a real talking bunny laying around here!"
"Excuse me, miss?"
Elvira ignored Tipler as she then rubbed her chin front of Alice.
"We got the girl from Liberion, too, who came into the mix."
"H-How did you know?"
"I know a cowgirl whenever I see one."
"Cowgirl!?"
Erica joined in with a joke. Francesca also rested behind her back with a smug smile.
"She does look like one. She's just missing a hat."
"And no Liberion cowgirl is better than our dear Shirley!"
"Officer Erica and Lucchini! That is not proper conduct!"
Alice ignored the squabble between the Witches from the 501st. Elvira was more than enough for her.
"Shirley?"
"They're talking about Charlotte Yeager of the 501st, the recently promoted Lieutenant and Liberion's top ace."
Francesca jumped over someone saying the full name of her best friend.
"Y-You know her, too?"
"Of course, she does. She works with us all the time. Or perhaps you've slept on the job for far too long."
Fine ignored the dueling glares between Francesca and Erica. She conversed with her tutor.
"You must be here for Izetta."
"Of course. She's the star player of Eylstadt, after all. I make sure she's well-polished and ready to go out when she faces the enemy and greets the other Witches."
"Tell me about it. She's just a young, adolescent girl with no military rank, yet they worship her like she's some kind of goddess."
Alice's comment provoked a glare from Lieutenant Barkhorn.
"Our respect for Weisse Hexe is per ancient tradition of our Witch clans. That does not mean we worship her!"
"Well, uh…"
Fine looked at the time on a nearby clock. There was already little time for them to stay around.
"In any case, we must get going then."
"Huh?"
Fine faced Alice to clarify.
"This afternoon, we will hold a meeting about the world's response to my coronation and Izetta's debut. We would like you to attend as well."
"Guess I have no choice then."
Alice scratched her head as they went along.
"So they finally revealed her presence. And now Karsland…no, the Witch clans are casting their support for her."
Berkman and Rickert read the newspaper at a bar within Germania. Rickert was the who felt pathetic over the crisis before them. Berkman still kept more than his composure.
"They want her to fight in front of the reporters and display her overwhelming power for the cameras. They even included the Karsland Witches to show the clans' support for the White Witch. Then the world will fully acknowledge the military, cultural, and political power of the Weisse Hexe legend."
"Nonetheless, the article is exaggerating. She only has support from three Witches. And only an armored battalion was defeated, not a division."
"Nonetheless…Our army has gone from an unstoppable force that rivals Witches to mere fodder for the one who leads them all. I can't blame the Allies for getting excited."
"When you think about it, it's frustrating to think that we let her go."
"On the contrary, His Majesty is enjoying the situation."
Rickert jerked to Berkman as he flipped over another page. The Major then turned to a man who their eyes on them.
"We've been told to start recruiting fellow soldiers for our upcoming battles against the White Witch. And with the delays to the offensive on all fronts and reorganization of our forces, we're allowed to use as much manpower and resources as we like."
The approaching man was Captain Bassler, who took a seat left of Berkman.
"Were you the one who called me?"
"Captain Bassler. We never met, yet you figured out it was me."
"I just looked for the shadiest guy at the bar. I'm more concerned about what the Special Unit wants with me."
Berkman nodded as he signaled the bartender for a glass of beer. He handed it over to Bassler along with the newspaper. They eyed on Izetta with contrasting emotions while Berkman went down to business.
"I want to hear what you have to say. You did not put it in your report, but I assume she was the one who shot down your men."
"Not just her."
"Oh?"
"Long before she appeared, there was another girl who fought beside her. A girl who used fire and air as a weapon and to propel herself."
"I heard the rumors myself. Another girl fought alongside the White Witch who managed to burn countless infantry divisions and blow up several tanks with mere fists and balls of fire. She is certainly something beyond a regular Witch."
"I shot her in the arm during our engagement. She's not as though as the other one. However…"
"That's when she showed up."
Bassler gulped his beer before confirming Berkman's assumption.
"Nobody would have believed me if I said it then. But now that the White Witch has gone public, I guess it doesn't matter."
Rickert's eyes widened in awe.
"Then it really was…"
Berkman continued to interview the Captain.
"So what do you think of her power? The White Witch, that is?"
"It's insane. Both she and the fire-wielding girl both decimated our men. Nothing we thought we knew helped. They were going 400 kilometers per hour, with the White Witch riding on a rifle with another girl, and they maneuvered like a barn swallow."
"That rifle was supposedly customized from the Imperial Armory, I'm told, though they certainly never gave it the ability to fly."
"She's not inside a vehicle, which makes her small and hard to hit, and she does not wear a Striker Unit. The fire girl may have lost the ability to fight well with an injured arm, but you can't just shoot the rifle to make her fall off. Clearly, they outmatched anyone in a dogfight."
"The Witch must sound invincible then."
Berkman shook his head in confident denial of Rickert's words.
"Of course, she isn't. If that were true, then Witches would be ruling the world already. Though in a sense, they already are."
Berkman chuckled at the irony as he eyed the newspaper photos with the Witches from 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Bassler glared at the man.
"That's not funny."
"No, but I mean what I say that Witches are not invincible, and I have two reasons to show it. You said that you confronted her from the Alps the day before the battle of Coenenberg."
"I can never forget that and…wait…"
"If she flew there, then it would have taken her and the princess a few minutes. They would have arrived long before the battle even began. But she did not appear until the last minute when the Eylstadt troops were on the verge of defeat, now why is that?"
Bassler had some doubts. She still appeared to be falling the last time he glimpsed the girls. The height they appeared would still be enough to seriously injure, let alone kill a person. It would take a while to reach Coenenberg under such injuries, especially with needed medical attention in mind.
"And the other reason?"
"The newspapers here are trying to propagate her power. A wiser move would have been to keep her presence a secret until she appeared in the heart of Neue-Berlin."
"You wouldn't…"
"If she were to do that, she would have killed the Kaiser and his cabinet. That would end the war with Germania immediately. So why did they instead go out of their way to display her prowess?"
Despite reacting to the Major's dangerous words, he agreed that it was a much stronger point. Eylstadt blew their chance to keep the Witch's presence a secret, which they could have used to strike a crippling blow to the Empire. The fact they chose not to was strange as Berkman summarized.
"The Witch of Weisse Hexe may be powerful, but she is not invincible. I have reason to conclude that there are times or places where her magic is fairly weak or completely unusable. If we can figure that out, we can exploit her vulnerability and show the world the Weisse Hexe myth that the Witches worship is not as powerful as they believe her to be. And besides…"
Berkman eyed on Bassler to finish his reasoning.
"If either girl were unstoppable, then that fire girl would have already toasted you, and we would not have this conversation. You said you managed to graze one of them and leave her vulnerable to attack if it wasn't for that Witch."
"Those women were something else, nothing like any of the normal Witches who opposed us. No one has ever rivaled them in a dogfight…except for me."
"Very well, you pass. You'll be given the order soon, so we're counting on you, Captain."
Berkman's words confused the captain as he rose from his seats.
"We are currently recruiting soldiers defeated at Eylstadt in the presence of the White Witch and that fire-and-wind girl. You're going to work for me. Together, we will hunt down both girls before we recapture Eylstadt."
Bassler raised his glass to his new commander.
"I am honored, Major."
"Is everyone here and accounted for?"
Muller called for everyone who attended the meeting. He sat in the middle on the far side of the conference room table. On his left was General Schneider, and to his right were Bianca and Lieutenant Barkhorn. Facing opposite of him on the window side was Fine, who also sat behind a large bulletin board with newspapers and maps of troop movements. To her right was Izetta, and to her left Elvira and Alice, with Tipler still in her pouch.
Alice felt the most alien out of those in the conference, wondering why they invited her in the first place. She rested her shoulder on the table as she faced Muller from the corner.
"Never thought I'd be in a real conference."
"You're just a guest in here for now. Please be respectable for what we discuss in this meeting."
"Interesting how I would get involved. I didn't think I'd be important."
Fine shared the same opinion as Alice. Muller learned about the Psionic girl's existence the same way he did with the White Witch, although he did not know of Tipler's. Fine thought that if it weren't for her power, she and Muller would never have allowed her to attend such an important conference.
"Currently, the public is more interested in the White Witch. Unlike you, Izetta directly affiliates with a legend that caught the world's attention. Rumors of your existence are still out there, but they dwarf in comparison to the Witch's popularity."
"And now, we have to figure out what our next move should be."
Fine nodded to Muller's words as they faced the bulletin board.
"Ever since they failed to conquer Eylstadt, the Empire of Germania ceased all campaigns against its neighbors. They are in the middle of reorganization after realizing they cannot conquer our nation thanks to the White Witch. For now, they seem to be more focused in the north, aiming its guns at Britannia."
"So I guess the fighting in this country is over then, huh?"
Fine and Muller countered Alice's point. Like the others, they saw Alice as someone who did not grasp the whole situation, especially Fine.
"It's too early to call. Germania still has a large force up in the north near Veile and Xern. They may have retreated to their homeland, but they might attack us if we falter. And we still don't know if we can block them at Coenenberg again."
"And there's the reality regarding the Witch clans."
General Schneider jerked to the aide's words as he continued.
"Gertrude's unit may have cast our support as per tradition. But we'll need to acquire the help of every Witch the next time our country is threatened."
"Are you saying we do not have full approval from the other Witch clans? Muller, did you recommend that…"
"That is my job."
Even Fine felt awful for declaring it in public.
"I would not want to say things yet to come true, and it's cruel to exploit a tradition among cultures for personal gain. But we need to secure aid from the Allies for the future of our nation, and the Witch clans' respect for the legend makes way to gain their support."
The Archduchess turned to the White Witch, who looked in down in guilt.
"Besides…Izetta helped us out of pity. I can't force her to do anything. And there's her power…"
The last sentence prompted Muller to question her.
"What about her power?"
"As amazing as her power can be, I fear she may have limits to when and where she can use it. Her power is not like the other Witches, which doesn't seem to come from within herself. And she's not like Alice, who has powers beyond our comprehension. One must wonder, if she cannot generate her own magic, then where exactly does it originate?"
"So you think we might not be able to use her at some dire hour when we need her?"
Fine nodded to Schneider's question. The old General laid back and sighed in frustration.
"To think we had an invincible weapon for once."
Muller ignored the general's misgivings as he turned to the representative from the 501st.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn, has Commander Wilcke said anything?"
"We sent a telegram to the Commander when we finished the battle of Coenenberg. She replied twice regarding the matter, a week before the coronation and an hour after the White Witch went public."
"And what does she think regarding the White Witch and the clans' traditions? From the soldier's point of view, your subordinates didn't recognize her until you ordered them to kneel."
"It was a spontaneous act, even if it was due to traditions. However, she seems to approve."
"If I recall, Commander Wilcke is a major leader of the Karsland movement and one of your closest friends."
Gertrude nodded as she recalled memories of that experience. That included another girl precious to her who was injured during their escape.
"We have been long acquaintances since the Kaiser took over the homeland and we together avoided persecution. She is also aware of the Weisse Hexe legend, which is why she disregarded our act."
"Are you certain that she will support the White Witch as the tradition suggests?"
Gertrude paused for the moment. The others could tell it was not a "yes," not yet at least.
"She is deeply interested in the Weisse Hexe. If possible, she would like to see her power at first glance."
Fine sighed over the outcome. Despite the performance at the coronation, she did not expect it to gain their support immediately as Gertrude continued.
"Showing Izetta's power through the media must not be enough for her. But to show her power in front of the 501st, she will have to leave Eylstadt for someplace else. More likely at our Dover base in Britannia."
"Then why don't we just go and accept it!?"
All eyes went Alice, who slapped her hand onto the table. The loud outburst disturbed everyone at the table, which prompted her to explain.
"I mean, the 501st and Karsland girls are giving you something rare on the platter! An idealistic leader saving her country is never going to pass it up!"
Schneider wiped the sweat off his head.
"That's true, but…"
Muller gave a short nod before answering to the shock of the general.
"We'll accept."
"Sieg!"
"The last time we attempted to gain the Allies' help was a futile act of desperation. Getting their help and that of the other Witch clans is a certain window of opportunity we cannot miss. And besides, there is also another enemy we have to consider. Now that Germania has attacked and we have a Witch affiliated with our nation, we have to look out for them as well."
Everyone including Alice knew the other threat that Muller hinted, much to Schneider's groans. They faced the map again and eyed on the large black hexagons that surrounded Eylstadt, except for an opening through Romagna.
"They never attacked us yet, but the fact remains our country is surrounded by several Neuroi hives including the enormous one in the heart of Germania. If we don't accept their power now, we will have more than just the Empire to confront. Moreover, the Empire started concentrating troop movements up in Galia, close to the Neuroi Hive in that region. By no means, this can be a coincidence."
Muller then turned to Fine to make a request.
"Archduchess, please send me to Britannia with the White Witch. Next month, there will be a conference between governments-in-exile and all the Allied nations. A representative from Liberion will be at the conference as well. This is a chance more than we could hope for."
"Wait, Sieg. Regarding Lieutenant Barkhorn's report, Commander Wilcke will likely be there as well. Considering her goal, isn't it likely they all want to know about Izetta's power?"
Fine's objection made Muller silent. There was no hiding his real intentions regarding such a move. Although she trusted her well and would allow him under other means, that was no longer necessary.
"In that case, allow me to go with Izetta."
Everyone turned to Fine as she pressed the idea.
"What do you all think? It's the best way to show that we're serious, isn't it?"
Elvira gave some thought to favor the princess.
"It would certainly be effective, but…"
On the other hand, Bianca slapped her hands onto the table.
"No way! We cannot let you be in danger again!"
"Bianca, calm down."
Alice also stood before the royal guard commander.
"Don't be so scared, will you? Remember that she's got us, and three Witches from the 501st will stand behind her! It's not like we'll let them go alone."
"You…"
Bianca glared the Psionic girl. She may have gained the Archduchess's trust, but she only knew for a short time. That's also not mentioning how the girl was bold enough talk against the leader of the royal guard. However, Muller tended to agree, much to Bianca's ire.
"Very well. I'll let you go."
"Sieg!"
"However, besides sending an escort like before, you should be very particular about the routes you take. I'll let Lieutenant Barkhorn know so you can get to Britannia with protection in case of an enemy attack. Bianca, are you up to the task?"
Bianca was reluctant before she nodded with a sigh of defeat. Muller then turned to Fine as he adjourned the conference.
"It's settled then. We'll prepare a boat for your departure. Make sure you're ready by tomorrow."
Nearly everyone in the conference stood up from the table. Alice stretched her arms again before checking on Tipler. Muller and Schneider were about to leave, but they noticed that Izetta was not standing up. Alice noticed this first hand as she patted her shoulder.
"What's the matter, Izetta? You don't think you're capable of fighting above water?"
"It's part of it."
Izetta turned to Fine, who was also concerned about Izetta's passive and timid behavior.
"Um, Archduchess. There is something I must confess. Something I must tell you before we go."
"Izetta…"
"First, I want you to come with me. There's something under the castle that I want to show you all."
Alice was the most intrigued among the group, while Schneider looked surprised. Gertrude and Bianca did not show much emotion but were also curious. However, Muller could understand the anxiety from the White Witch. Perhaps this was what the Archduchess was worried over all along.
And that's the prelude to the upcoming battle. Next one will be the battle against who knows what, though it's an easy guess what it might be. There will be a little bit more conversation, but that's in a location right where the battle begins.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
This will be separated into three parts again as usual.
Nighttime covered the nearby castle in Eylstadt. Two weeks passed since the battle at Coenenberg that devastated its green fields, but the nation recently returned to a normal state…if only it weren't for a special occasion.
The citizens gathered around a brightly lit up town square. A well-dressed Princess Fine kneeled before three old men by a church. Two men on the sides held a book and a scepter while the man on the center held a sword in front of her. The three Witches of the 501st watched the ceremony from behind as the man in the center began.
"Ortfine Fredericka, the Archduchess will be the Lady of Landsbruck, and guardian of its valleys and roads. She will be the liberator of the Alps and the ruler of Eylstadt. I ask you, are you prepared to receive that title?"
"I am."
"Do you swear to offer yourself up to the service of the land and its people?"
"I swear."
"Then kiss the blade that is the soul of our ancestors and make your vow."
And kiss she did. She took the sword in her hands as the old man congratulated.
"Blessings upon the new Archduchess of Eylstadt!"
The crowd roared with cheers as they praised their new ruler. Alice, on the other hand, stood by the corner with Tipler peeking from her pouch. While she gained the trust of the new Archduchess of Eylstadt and Izetta, she was still a stranger among the people of this country. Her presence would come out as odd, not to mention risk revealing Tipler.
Alice talked to the said Murlock as she observed.
"So she's finally done it."
"To think that her father died, right before she came home…"
"I was sure she would get over it at some point. From what I understand, he lived a long life running and protecting this country. Can't say I have anything against him."
"Why do you have to be so callous?"
"A-Am I really being that?"
"The girl must be suffering hard right now. She must be putting up a face just to calm the people."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Am I wrong?"
"No, but you're saying that like she was forced to serve the people at her own expense. I may not be royalty, but even I get the feeling she's doing this because she wants to protect the people. Just like how we want to save the world."
Tipler remained silent. He doubted that saving the world is what Alice desired, but he never thought about the princess being willing to sacrifice her life for the people either. And that's not all as Alice stated.
"We both know she's not alone. In fact, she could have the best friend anyone could have."
At that moment, Fine went to the crowd and called to the masses who gathered around her.
"Fellow people of Eylstadt, people of the Allied nations, and all of humanity. Hear me. As of now, humanity is being engulfed in the flames of war. Throughout the world, nations and cities are ravaged by the threat of the Neuroi, which consume the planet's land and attack indiscriminately."
Alice could visualize, like a black-and-white film, the Neuroi appearing as they did decades ago. They emerged from the black clouds resembling black planes before firing red beams from the red spots dotted around their craft that tore through historic landmarks and cities.
"Yet even with the power of the current Witch clans, madness and disaster continued. The people of the European continent can attest to that well, as the Empire of Germania abandons its kin in its quest for world domination. In this nation of Eylstadt, the loss of my father, the former Archduke, was a grave blow in such a dire hour. I'm sure that there are some who wonder if a young, inexperienced girl such as myself can take the helm of state in such a situation."
The next visual was the marching soldiers of Germania who invaded Livonia and Galia. She could picture the infantry and tanks firing their weapons at scores of civilians and outright executing them without hesitation. She snapped back into reality as Fine declared.
"But my people, be not afraid! We have a guardian who is every bit the equal of this ancient sword of our ancestors!"
The Archduchess raised her sword into the air.
"Let me introduce you. A Witch adored and honored by all Witch clans throughout the world. The descendant of the legendary White Witch, the guardian of Eylstadt! My friend, Izetta of Weisse Hexe!"
The sword in her hand hovered into the air and radiated waves of energy before the people. Alice smirked from the side as she anticipated what came next. Large cameras started flashing, and the reporters quickly replaced lightbulbs that burnt out.
They witnessed Izetta flying by with a large anti-tank rifle. Unlike the last time she made an appearance, Izetta wore a white gown that resembled the one used by the legendary Weisse Hexe. Her weapon was a creation from Suomus, customized with a seat and handlebars for her personal use. She stunned the reporters as she used the flying sword cut down the nearby stone pillars and sent them crumbling to the ground.
"Some of you may have caught wind of this. You have heard rumors or outright witnessed a single Witch who shot down the invading army's planes one after another and destroyed their waves of tanks, thus defending the fortress of Coenenberg. These rumors are true. Her power surpasses the latest of human-made weapons and outstrips that possessed by all other Witches."
Fine raised her hands to Izetta as she flew above. Gertrude also raised their arms to the side as the three Witches levitated in the air. Francesca and Erica were just as surprised as the reporters who witnessed them. They found their Striker Units and weapons coming towards them, grabbed their armaments and readied their legs for insertion. They sprouted their familiars' ears and tails as they started their propellers immediately in midflight.
"Even now, the Witch clans of Europe bow before her power and honor her wishes no matter what the cost may be, the defense of Eylstadt and its people!"
Izetta descended to the Archduchess as she offered her hand. The two rose up together as did the book and scepter in the other old men's hands. The new ruler of Eylstadt raised her sword as she announced.
"I say to my beloved people, and the world. Anyone who dares to threaten witch kind or this very principality is an enemy to all Witch clans, and shall face the wrath of the White Witch, the Witch among Witches and highest of all clans, Weisse Hexe!"
Alice remained confident throughout the entire ceremony. She was certain that this was going to go smoothly, especially with herself out of the way. However, it did seem off that she managed to pull this all off within a couple of weeks. She guessed that the now crowned Archduchess was really determined to make an impression for her people.
However, the Psionic girl noticed another woman peeking behind elsewhere. She was a woman with blonde hair tied to a bun with some red streaks at the front. Alice pointed her out well thanks to her black and red fur coat and large round glasses.
"That's perfect. Calm and composed, just like we planned."
Alice could hear those words muttering from the woman. She did not know what she meant and wanted to investigate, but she was a big yawn coming. Her mind switched to waiting for the ceremony to end, so she finally can get some sleep.
---
The sun shone over the capital of Germania. The original capital of what used to be Karsland became a hive for the Neuroi that made itself home in the nation's territory. Even with its presence, the fact it never touched the majority of the people meant an uneasy relationship between the two. That was especially so with the militaristic architecture of the new capital.
The palace of Neue-Berlin displayed its might with lines of anti-air batteries in the courtyard. Armed guards, armored cars, and tanks patrolled the streets. The Kaiser who ruled the nation was not alone either as lines of commanding officers and soldiers stood before him.
"Commander Grosskopf, I heard that you issued a full retreat from the Duchy of Eylstadt. Care to explain why?"
Kaiser Otto, the ruler of Germania, rested on the arm of his throne. He spoke to a bald army officer who bowed before him. The man was called upon to face the Kaiser a few weeks after he ordered the entire force to retreat.
"Your Majesty, we regret to inform you that the force responsible for invading Eylstadt…was annihilated."
"Annihilated?"
"Nearly our entire force was wiped out, and all forward bases fell as a result. We had no choice but to withdraw from the nation completely."
"And why is that?"
"It wasn't Eylstadt's troops, nor the Karsland resistance fighters. They apparently have some kind of secret weapon! No, two secret weapons at that!"
"Two secret weapons? Are you sure they're not standard Witches?"
"They weren't ordinary Witches, Your Majesty! Neither of them!"
"Oh? Care to explain."
"The first of which was a young blonde girl who manipulated fire and wind, wiping out soldiers with effort."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, she did not even have a Striker Unit, yet she destroyed a large portion of our force with her own hands! The infantry was burned alive, and her power easily crushed the armored battalion! She attacked our headquarters, too, and would have gotten all of us should we have remained there!"
The Kaiser remained silent, waiting for him to finish his report.
"And the other one?"
"Well…the soldiers say the other one was a little girl flying on a rifle. The Eylstadt soldiers seem to worship her as some kind of White Witch. Even the Karsland forces bowed before her!"
The Kaiser's silence made Grosskopf panic even more as he acted desperately.
"It's true! Everyone said the same thing! The Witches and Eylstadt soldiers called out her name. We even noticed a Morse signal telling them that she's the next of coming of Weisse Hexe!"
"Weisse Hexe..."
Upon hearing that name, it took a few seconds before chuckling. He burst into laughter as if he heard a joke. His hysterics made the bowing officer confused and nervous at the same time. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the Kaiser turned to his aide, a blonde man in a noble blue uniform.
"Did you hear that, Elliot? To think we actually found her, the legendary Witch of Weisse Hexe!"
"The reports already show she's the real deal."
"Of course, we already have the news right here."
The Kaiser took a stash of newspapers out from the side. Although it was an Allied newspaper, it showed photos of the Archduchess's coronation followed by the introduction of the White Witch. He faced the bald officer as he displayed the papers.
"Lieutenant General, the information from you and your men is more than believable. No severe punishment will be conducted."
Grosskopf showed joy, which was crushed when the Kaiser continued.
"However, as the commanding officer responsible for the invasion, I'm taking away your lands. You will be demoted from your rank and set as the head of a prison camp."
The officer now sweated and the Kaiser noticed the man shaking over his punishment.
"What's wrong? Do you protest? I have three new camps being opened in Livonia, so you're free to pick whichever you choose."
"O-Of course not! T-Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Very well, you are dismissed."
The now-former Lieutenant General marched out of the room. It was now only the Kaiser, his aide, and his other generals. The ruler of Germania, however, only conversed with his aide.
"We'll have to reconsider many of our plans."
"From the tone of your voice, you must be very enthusiastic. First, you challenge the standing of Witches in the modern era, and now you are going against two new adversaries, one of them being the Witch who rules them all."
"My blood has been boiling since we confirmed her existence. I want this legendary Witch captured alive."
"Your Majesty, if I may speak."
"Of course. That's why you're here, Elliot."
"Our original objective in the invasion of Eylstadt was to secure a passage to the southern states of Romagna and Venezia, which have now fallen into civil unrest. That way, we will have an easier way to send troops into the Mediterranean and Africa. Please don't forget that."
"You are right. But with Eylstadt revealing the presence of the White Witch, the clans throughout the world obey her command and that of the Archduchess. Capturing the nation is no longer possible for us."
"Understood. Now that the Eylstadt is out of reach, we should prioritize defeating and capturing the Witch of Weisse Hexe."
"Our agent has already interrogated the soldiers who retreated from Eylstadt and is currently seeking recruits. It won't be long before we can make our move against the Witch."
Elliot nodded as he continued.
"If I may suggest."
"Go ahead."
"For now, only a few clans appear to support the White Witch. Even if Eylstadt gains support from those within their military, the Allies have not fully dedicated their support. It is likely that they'll send her away from Eylstadt to display her power."
The Kaiser went back to the newspaper as he eyed on the photos showing three girls kneeling before Izetta and Fine.
"Indeed, and the Witches appear to be Karsland agents."
"Gertrude Barkhorn, Erica Hartmann, and Francesca Lucchini. Former members of our old nation's military and allying countries."
"I always knew they would put a fight against our new force, but to think they would cast their lot with the White Witch immediately upon her discovery. This will an interesting fight indeed."
Kaiser Otto laughed once again as he gave his next order.
"Call back Major Berkman. We will postpone all operations regarding Eylstadt and suspend our offensive action against the Allies for now. We shall take this time to reorganize our troops and rebuild our forces for what is to come."
"And what if the Allies decide to take action?"
"That will not be necessary for they, too, are reeling from the recent attacks. And besides, we still have the backing of…them."
Elliot remained silent, understanding what he meant.
The next day, the newly crowned Archduchess and Izetta awoke within the main palace of Landsbruck. After the ceremony, they immediately returned to the capital, although they insisted in walking there instead of using Izetta's flight magic. Everyone else returned to the palace to sleep. The Psionic girl and her Murlock pet, which no one saw enter the building, were also given a room in the far corner of the palace.
"Do you think our guest is alright?"
The words came from another woman who stood beside Izetta and Fine. To all of Eylstadt, she was the commander of Eylstadt's royal guard, composed of all women who now served the Archduchess. They watched the door to the Psionic girl's given room for it remained locked throughout the morning. Fine wondered how Alice managed to sleep well past morning hours that she unknowingly missed breakfast.
"She has been asleep for a long time now, but she was up long past midnight, I would not expect her to wake up at a normal time."
"Shall I knock on the door then?"
"There is no need, Bianca. She is our guest here as much as Izetta, please do not intrude her."
But someone else thought otherwise. A young girl passed them, carrying a stepstool with towels on top of them. She banged on the door loudly to the anxiety of Fine.
"WAKE! UP! OUR! GUEST!"
"Lotte, please, do not…"
The door opened up with a loud slam. The girls flinched as a tired Alice appeared in front of them. She remained in the same clothes as before, not caring how much she likely dirtied the bed. The girl yawned out to them as she stretched her arms around.
"Boy, I never thought that staying up until midnight would make me ever so sleepy."
Her pet then hopped over to Alice's side as he complained.
"I kept trying to wake you up, Alice-sama. But even the maids here don't seem to hear me."
Fine jumped over how the Murlock simply showed himself without thinking. She could view the faces of Bianca and Lotte without actually seeing them.
"T-Tipler?"
"Please forgive her, miss. Even I did not know…hm?"
The Murlock turned to what was why Fine jumped. He caught the eyes of the young maid girl who left her eyes wide open. She dropped her stool, which slid its towels towards Tipler as it fell over.
"A-a-a-a…"
After a few moments, Lotte let out a loud squee. She immediately wrapped her arms around Tipler and hugged him right up to her chest.
"Whaa?"
Alice also jumped over what the little maid just did.
"Tipler!"
"Lotte, what are you doing!?"
Lotte ignored Alice and Bianca as she continued cuddling the little being.
"It's a cute little rabbit!"
Fine intervened first as she placed her hand by her arms.
"Lotte, please let him go!"
The maid jerked to the Archduchess in anxiety. She spontaneously dropped Tipler onto the rug as she ran away.
"Forgive me for not knowing you had a pet! Please let me get a bed mat right away!"
"Lotte…"
Tipler shook in frustration as he stood back right-side up. He could not understand the maid's infatuation with him. Since when did people find him so cute? Even Alice did not understand either as she gazed at the maid beside Fine.
"What's with that girl?"
"Lotte is my personal maid. Forgive her for being…"
"A little airheaded?"
Fine nodded as she turned to her commander of the royal guard.
"Bianca, please get Lotte to calm down. We will take care of things from here."
"U-Understood, Princess."
The royal guard bowed before walking down the hallway. Now it was only Alice, Tipler, Fine, and Izetta together again. The Archduchess and White White turned to Alice as she picked up Tipler and placed him her pouch.
"In any case, that sure was a nice sleep! I never had such a soft bed in my life! And you, Tipler?"
"Yes, it was…very nice, Alice-sama."
For once, Fine gave a little smile to the duo.
"Do you ever have any beds like this? Guess not since technology seems nonexistent in your world."
Tipler shook his head.
"On the contrary, my former master had one during the time she took care of me."
"Former master? I guess that's how you manage to come from the future. What was life exactly like before then?"
"It was…miserable."
"I mean…how miserable?"
Everyone listened in on Tipler as they went down the hallway together.
"To know that, you must understand the system that traps the Murlocks in a terrible cycle. You see, my entire species operates as a hive. My former master told me to think about ants or bees."
Fine was the only one who could figure that out easily.
"Ants and bees…You mean like a queen bee, right?"
"She breeds many of us male Murlocks who do all the hard labor. That includes harvesting, digging, and mating with the Queen to make more of us, including the next Queen to take her place. She is also the only one who can outlive the rest of us."
Izetta wondered what Tipler meant by that.
"How long exactly?"
"Over 60 years."
The other girls jumped over that statement. For normal rabbits, they would only live for at least a couple decades at best. But now, they see a creature who outlives them more than four times. Alice was the most shocked as someone who did not learn much about nature while Fine was even more intrigued.
"60 years!?"
"And how long do you normally live for?"
Tipler did not understand why they jumped over his sudden life expectancy but went to Fine's question.
"Around the same amount. However, due to circumstances, we only live for around for 20 years."
"Why is that? Did the Vilag do something to you people?"
Tipler nodded in regret.
"The Vilag use us for all sort of things. Above all, they use us as slave labor…and food."
Alice felt odd about the last part. Perhaps that's why Tipler stuttered over that last part.
"Food? You don't look like much for a meal."
"Not at my age, no. Even now, I'm still a child at around seven years. If we were to grow old enough, we would stand as tall as that maid girl who picked me up."
Alice wiped the sweat off her head. The others were just as surprised as she was.
"Sorry, that's beyond my comprehension."
"Forgive me; I never thought you would understand."
Fine continued in pressing the matter.
"Setting that aside, you say they use you for slave labor. What kind of labor?"
"They used us only for the basic needs including farming and creating paper. At an age of 30 years when we can no longer mate, the Vilag farm and slaughter us for food. And with their control of the queens and my people, none are even missed."
Izetta felt the most pit of the group.
"That's horrible..."
Fine felt the most anger among them.
"You may look like a little rabbit, but you have many characteristics close to a…human. And you're saying these Vilag just treat you like a bunch of….cattle?"
Tipler responded in shame.
"We had no other choice. Our kind is conditioned to treat the Vilag as if they were just like this White Witch. Otherwise, they would feed us to the Hunterbeasts and easily slaughter us, just like they did in their rebellion."
Alice twitched over the last word Tipler said.
"Rebellion?"
"According to my former master, there was a time when one of our own tried rebelling against our Vilag masters. It failed and resulted in a cruel punishment to those who did not bow to them."
"Do you know what kind of punishment?"
Tipler shook his small head. As much as Fine wanted to contain her anger, she had another question in mind.
"If I may ask, how did your former master find you?"
Tipler was hesitant at first. But the Archduchess and Witch could tell it was not easy for him to explain.
"My former master said she found me when wandering in our colony grounds. She said that I was very precious to her and raised me like a friend. She would teach me things from this very language I speak to the civilization of the Vilag."
Alice merely gave a positive reaction as he petted the Murlock.
"Almost sounds like she wants to liberate you, just like how the Karsland girls want to liberate their land and protect our little White Witch. Isn't that right, Archduchess?"
"Well…"
As per speak of the devil, four more figures came up. Gertrude Barkhorn led the group, flanked by her two squadmates.
"Weisse Hexe, we have finally found you."
They gave way to the other woman as the Lieutenant turned to Fine.
"Forgive us, Archduchess, but we found someone who wishes to speak to Weisse Hexe."
Alice and Tipler both gazed at the woman. She was the same one they found peeking around during the coronation ceremony. She gave off a far friendlier vibe compared to her more skeptical action last night.
"Looks like our girls are all ready to go. That was a perfect performance out there, more than enough to convince the people of your spectacular might!"
Alice was still unsure who exactly this girl was. Fine stepped forward to introduce the woman.
"This is Elvira Friedman, my personal tutor. She is a journalist who works with various newspapers and radio stations throughout Liberion. She is also the one who handles the advertising of Izetta as the second coming of Weisse Hexe."
"Advertising?"
Alice answered to Izetta as she patted her head.
"It means that you're a world celebrity now. Everyone around the world knows of your existence, including your power as a Witch."
"Celebrity?"
Elvira instead focused on the Psionic girl and her little companion. She sized up the girl and went as far as measuring her breasts to her embarrassment and poking her finger around Tipler.
"And look at we have here? We got a real talking bunny laying around here!"
"Excuse me, miss?"
Elvira ignored Tipler as she then rubbed her chin front of Alice.
"We got the girl from Liberion, too, who came into the mix."
"H-How did you know?"
"I know a cowgirl whenever I see one."
"Cowgirl!?"
Erica joined in with a joke. Francesca also rested behind her back with a smug smile.
"She does look like one. She's just missing a hat."
"And no Liberion cowgirl is better than our dear Shirley!"
"Officer Erica and Lucchini! That is not proper conduct!"
Alice ignored the squabble between the Witches from the 501st. Elvira was more than enough for her.
"Shirley?"
"They're talking about Charlotte Yeager of the 501st, the recently promoted Lieutenant and Liberion's top ace."
Francesca jumped over someone saying the full name of her best friend.
"Y-You know her, too?"
"Of course, she does. She works with us all the time. Or perhaps you've slept on the job for far too long."
Fine ignored the dueling glares between Francesca and Erica. She conversed with her tutor.
"You must be here for Izetta."
"Of course. She's the star player of Eylstadt, after all. I make sure she's well-polished and ready to go out when she faces the enemy and greets the other Witches."
"Tell me about it. She's just a young, adolescent girl with no military rank, yet they worship her like she's some kind of goddess."
Alice's comment provoked a glare from Lieutenant Barkhorn.
"Our respect for Weisse Hexe is per ancient tradition of our Witch clans. That does not mean we worship her!"
"Well, uh…"
Fine looked at the time on a nearby clock. There was already little time for them to stay around.
"In any case, we must get going then."
"Huh?"
Fine faced Alice to clarify.
"This afternoon, we will hold a meeting about the world's response to my coronation and Izetta's debut. We would like you to attend as well."
"Guess I have no choice then."
Alice scratched her head as they went along.
"So they finally revealed her presence. And now Karsland…no, the Witch clans are casting their support for her."
Berkman and Rickert read the newspaper at a bar within Germania. Rickert was the who felt pathetic over the crisis before them. Berkman still kept more than his composure.
"They want her to fight in front of the reporters and display her overwhelming power for the cameras. They even included the Karsland Witches to show the clans' support for the White Witch. Then the world will fully acknowledge the military, cultural, and political power of the Weisse Hexe legend."
"Nonetheless, the article is exaggerating. She only has support from three Witches. And only an armored battalion was defeated, not a division."
"Nonetheless…Our army has gone from an unstoppable force that rivals Witches to mere fodder for the one who leads them all. I can't blame the Allies for getting excited."
"When you think about it, it's frustrating to think that we let her go."
"On the contrary, His Majesty is enjoying the situation."
Rickert jerked to Berkman as he flipped over another page. The Major then turned to a man who their eyes on them.
"We've been told to start recruiting fellow soldiers for our upcoming battles against the White Witch. And with the delays to the offensive on all fronts and reorganization of our forces, we're allowed to use as much manpower and resources as we like."
The approaching man was Captain Bassler, who took a seat left of Berkman.
"Were you the one who called me?"
"Captain Bassler. We never met, yet you figured out it was me."
"I just looked for the shadiest guy at the bar. I'm more concerned about what the Special Unit wants with me."
Berkman nodded as he signaled the bartender for a glass of beer. He handed it over to Bassler along with the newspaper. They eyed on Izetta with contrasting emotions while Berkman went down to business.
"I want to hear what you have to say. You did not put it in your report, but I assume she was the one who shot down your men."
"Not just her."
"Oh?"
"Long before she appeared, there was another girl who fought beside her. A girl who used fire and air as a weapon and to propel herself."
"I heard the rumors myself. Another girl fought alongside the White Witch who managed to burn countless infantry divisions and blow up several tanks with mere fists and balls of fire. She is certainly something beyond a regular Witch."
"I shot her in the arm during our engagement. She's not as though as the other one. However…"
"That's when she showed up."
Bassler gulped his beer before confirming Berkman's assumption.
"Nobody would have believed me if I said it then. But now that the White Witch has gone public, I guess it doesn't matter."
Rickert's eyes widened in awe.
"Then it really was…"
Berkman continued to interview the Captain.
"So what do you think of her power? The White Witch, that is?"
"It's insane. Both she and the fire-wielding girl both decimated our men. Nothing we thought we knew helped. They were going 400 kilometers per hour, with the White Witch riding on a rifle with another girl, and they maneuvered like a barn swallow."
"That rifle was supposedly customized from the Imperial Armory, I'm told, though they certainly never gave it the ability to fly."
"She's not inside a vehicle, which makes her small and hard to hit, and she does not wear a Striker Unit. The fire girl may have lost the ability to fight well with an injured arm, but you can't just shoot the rifle to make her fall off. Clearly, they outmatched anyone in a dogfight."
"The Witch must sound invincible then."
Berkman shook his head in confident denial of Rickert's words.
"Of course, she isn't. If that were true, then Witches would be ruling the world already. Though in a sense, they already are."
Berkman chuckled at the irony as he eyed the newspaper photos with the Witches from 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Bassler glared at the man.
"That's not funny."
"No, but I mean what I say that Witches are not invincible, and I have two reasons to show it. You said that you confronted her from the Alps the day before the battle of Coenenberg."
"I can never forget that and…wait…"
"If she flew there, then it would have taken her and the princess a few minutes. They would have arrived long before the battle even began. But she did not appear until the last minute when the Eylstadt troops were on the verge of defeat, now why is that?"
Bassler had some doubts. She still appeared to be falling the last time he glimpsed the girls. The height they appeared would still be enough to seriously injure, let alone kill a person. It would take a while to reach Coenenberg under such injuries, especially with needed medical attention in mind.
"And the other reason?"
"The newspapers here are trying to propagate her power. A wiser move would have been to keep her presence a secret until she appeared in the heart of Neue-Berlin."
"You wouldn't…"
"If she were to do that, she would have killed the Kaiser and his cabinet. That would end the war with Germania immediately. So why did they instead go out of their way to display her prowess?"
Despite reacting to the Major's dangerous words, he agreed that it was a much stronger point. Eylstadt blew their chance to keep the Witch's presence a secret, which they could have used to strike a crippling blow to the Empire. The fact they chose not to was strange as Berkman summarized.
"The Witch of Weisse Hexe may be powerful, but she is not invincible. I have reason to conclude that there are times or places where her magic is fairly weak or completely unusable. If we can figure that out, we can exploit her vulnerability and show the world the Weisse Hexe myth that the Witches worship is not as powerful as they believe her to be. And besides…"
Berkman eyed on Bassler to finish his reasoning.
"If either girl were unstoppable, then that fire girl would have already toasted you, and we would not have this conversation. You said you managed to graze one of them and leave her vulnerable to attack if it wasn't for that Witch."
"Those women were something else, nothing like any of the normal Witches who opposed us. No one has ever rivaled them in a dogfight…except for me."
"Very well, you pass. You'll be given the order soon, so we're counting on you, Captain."
Berkman's words confused the captain as he rose from his seats.
"We are currently recruiting soldiers defeated at Eylstadt in the presence of the White Witch and that fire-and-wind girl. You're going to work for me. Together, we will hunt down both girls before we recapture Eylstadt."
Bassler raised his glass to his new commander.
"I am honored, Major."
"Is everyone here and accounted for?"
Muller called for everyone who attended the meeting. He sat in the middle on the far side of the conference room table. On his left was General Schneider, and to his right were Bianca and Lieutenant Barkhorn. Facing opposite of him on the window side was Fine, who also sat behind a large bulletin board with newspapers and maps of troop movements. To her right was Izetta, and to her left Elvira and Alice, with Tipler still in her pouch.
Alice felt the most alien out of those in the conference, wondering why they invited her in the first place. She rested her shoulder on the table as she faced Muller from the corner.
"Never thought I'd be in a real conference."
"You're just a guest in here for now. Please be respectable for what we discuss in this meeting."
"Interesting how I would get involved. I didn't think I'd be important."
Fine shared the same opinion as Alice. Muller learned about the Psionic girl's existence the same way he did with the White Witch, although he did not know of Tipler's. Fine thought that if it weren't for her power, she and Muller would never have allowed her to attend such an important conference.
"Currently, the public is more interested in the White Witch. Unlike you, Izetta directly affiliates with a legend that caught the world's attention. Rumors of your existence are still out there, but they dwarf in comparison to the Witch's popularity."
"And now, we have to figure out what our next move should be."
Fine nodded to Muller's words as they faced the bulletin board.
"Ever since they failed to conquer Eylstadt, the Empire of Germania ceased all campaigns against its neighbors. They are in the middle of reorganization after realizing they cannot conquer our nation thanks to the White Witch. For now, they seem to be more focused in the north, aiming its guns at Britannia."
"So I guess the fighting in this country is over then, huh?"
Fine and Muller countered Alice's point. Like the others, they saw Alice as someone who did not grasp the whole situation, especially Fine.
"It's too early to call. Germania still has a large force up in the north near Veile and Xern. They may have retreated to their homeland, but they might attack us if we falter. And we still don't know if we can block them at Coenenberg again."
"And there's the reality regarding the Witch clans."
General Schneider jerked to the aide's words as he continued.
"Gertrude's unit may have cast our support as per tradition. But we'll need to acquire the help of every Witch the next time our country is threatened."
"Are you saying we do not have full approval from the other Witch clans? Muller, did you recommend that…"
"That is my job."
Even Fine felt awful for declaring it in public.
"I would not want to say things yet to come true, and it's cruel to exploit a tradition among cultures for personal gain. But we need to secure aid from the Allies for the future of our nation, and the Witch clans' respect for the legend makes way to gain their support."
The Archduchess turned to the White Witch, who looked in down in guilt.
"Besides…Izetta helped us out of pity. I can't force her to do anything. And there's her power…"
The last sentence prompted Muller to question her.
"What about her power?"
"As amazing as her power can be, I fear she may have limits to when and where she can use it. Her power is not like the other Witches, which doesn't seem to come from within herself. And she's not like Alice, who has powers beyond our comprehension. One must wonder, if she cannot generate her own magic, then where exactly does it originate?"
"So you think we might not be able to use her at some dire hour when we need her?"
Fine nodded to Schneider's question. The old General laid back and sighed in frustration.
"To think we had an invincible weapon for once."
Muller ignored the general's misgivings as he turned to the representative from the 501st.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn, has Commander Wilcke said anything?"
"We sent a telegram to the Commander when we finished the battle of Coenenberg. She replied twice regarding the matter, a week before the coronation and an hour after the White Witch went public."
"And what does she think regarding the White Witch and the clans' traditions? From the soldier's point of view, your subordinates didn't recognize her until you ordered them to kneel."
"It was a spontaneous act, even if it was due to traditions. However, she seems to approve."
"If I recall, Commander Wilcke is a major leader of the Karsland movement and one of your closest friends."
Gertrude nodded as she recalled memories of that experience. That included another girl precious to her who was injured during their escape.
"We have been long acquaintances since the Kaiser took over the homeland and we together avoided persecution. She is also aware of the Weisse Hexe legend, which is why she disregarded our act."
"Are you certain that she will support the White Witch as the tradition suggests?"
Gertrude paused for the moment. The others could tell it was not a "yes," not yet at least.
"She is deeply interested in the Weisse Hexe. If possible, she would like to see her power at first glance."
Fine sighed over the outcome. Despite the performance at the coronation, she did not expect it to gain their support immediately as Gertrude continued.
"Showing Izetta's power through the media must not be enough for her. But to show her power in front of the 501st, she will have to leave Eylstadt for someplace else. More likely at our Dover base in Britannia."
"Then why don't we just go and accept it!?"
All eyes went Alice, who slapped her hand onto the table. The loud outburst disturbed everyone at the table, which prompted her to explain.
"I mean, the 501st and Karsland girls are giving you something rare on the platter! An idealistic leader saving her country is never going to pass it up!"
Schneider wiped the sweat off his head.
"That's true, but…"
Muller gave a short nod before answering to the shock of the general.
"We'll accept."
"Sieg!"
"The last time we attempted to gain the Allies' help was a futile act of desperation. Getting their help and that of the other Witch clans is a certain window of opportunity we cannot miss. And besides, there is also another enemy we have to consider. Now that Germania has attacked and we have a Witch affiliated with our nation, we have to look out for them as well."
Everyone including Alice knew the other threat that Muller hinted, much to Schneider's groans. They faced the map again and eyed on the large black hexagons that surrounded Eylstadt, except for an opening through Romagna.
"They never attacked us yet, but the fact remains our country is surrounded by several Neuroi hives including the enormous one in the heart of Germania. If we don't accept their power now, we will have more than just the Empire to confront. Moreover, the Empire started concentrating troop movements up in Galia, close to the Neuroi Hive in that region. By no means, this can be a coincidence."
Muller then turned to Fine to make a request.
"Archduchess, please send me to Britannia with the White Witch. Next month, there will be a conference between governments-in-exile and all the Allied nations. A representative from Liberion will be at the conference as well. This is a chance more than we could hope for."
"Wait, Sieg. Regarding Lieutenant Barkhorn's report, Commander Wilcke will likely be there as well. Considering her goal, isn't it likely they all want to know about Izetta's power?"
Fine's objection made Muller silent. There was no hiding his real intentions regarding such a move. Although she trusted her well and would allow him under other means, that was no longer necessary.
"In that case, allow me to go with Izetta."
Everyone turned to Fine as she pressed the idea.
"What do you all think? It's the best way to show that we're serious, isn't it?"
Elvira gave some thought to favor the princess.
"It would certainly be effective, but…"
On the other hand, Bianca slapped her hands onto the table.
"No way! We cannot let you be in danger again!"
"Bianca, calm down."
Alice also stood before the royal guard commander.
"Don't be so scared, will you? Remember that she's got us, and three Witches from the 501st will stand behind her! It's not like we'll let them go alone."
"You…"
Bianca glared the Psionic girl. She may have gained the Archduchess's trust, but she only knew for a short time. That's also not mentioning how the girl was bold enough talk against the leader of the royal guard. However, Muller tended to agree, much to Bianca's ire.
"Very well. I'll let you go."
"Sieg!"
"However, besides sending an escort like before, you should be very particular about the routes you take. I'll let Lieutenant Barkhorn know so you can get to Britannia with protection in case of an enemy attack. Bianca, are you up to the task?"
Bianca was reluctant before she nodded with a sigh of defeat. Muller then turned to Fine as he adjourned the conference.
"It's settled then. We'll prepare a boat for your departure. Make sure you're ready by tomorrow."
Nearly everyone in the conference stood up from the table. Alice stretched her arms again before checking on Tipler. Muller and Schneider were about to leave, but they noticed that Izetta was not standing up. Alice noticed this first hand as she patted her shoulder.
"What's the matter, Izetta? You don't think you're capable of fighting above water?"
"It's part of it."
Izetta turned to Fine, who was also concerned about Izetta's passive and timid behavior.
"Um, Archduchess. There is something I must confess. Something I must tell you before we go."
"Izetta…"
"First, I want you to come with me. There's something under the castle that I want to show you all."
Alice was the most intrigued among the group, while Schneider looked surprised. Gertrude and Bianca did not show much emotion but were also curious. However, Muller could understand the anxiety from the White Witch. Perhaps this was what the Archduchess was worried over all along.
And that's the prelude to the upcoming battle. Next one will be the battle against who knows what, though it's an easy guess what it might be. There will be a little bit more conversation, but that's in a location right where the battle begins.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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Although I would still separate this into three parts, the battle will extend to this section and that last one for this Episode. The endpoint is a predictable cliffhanger, good enough for a stopping point.
Also, for references, all the enemies you see will take the form of the Horton 229 like in Episode 2 of Strike Witches.
In the northern regions of the European continent laid a handful of large islands. One of them was a significant power on the side of the Allies known as the Kingdom of Britannia. While it had a sizable ground, air, and naval force, it was inferior compared to their opponent on the other side of the channel. Even so, it was the main base for their best Witches and the final stronghold against the relentless attacks from Germania and the Neuroi on the continent.
In the waters near Britannia's shores, a fleet of vessels enroute to the islands came under attack. They were composed of several escort ships and a leading aircraft carrier. They raised a white flag with a red crescent moon to indicate their nationality. A handful of explosions in the water rocked the flagship as voices shouted through the speakers.
"All ships, maintain course while taking evasive action! I repeat, maintain course while taking evasive action!"
The Fuso aircraft carrier Akagi and its destroyer escorts were on their way to the islands after tending to an assignment in its home country. After traveling halfway across the world, they were suddenly intercepted by a large black vessel that shot many red beams at the fleet. Many were damaged, but the beams only bombarded the waters near the carrier. The repeated near misses startled the commanding officers within the bridge.
"Damn them, why won't they just finish us off?"
"Maybe they're just toying with us?"
Another beam startled the men. The soldiers were dealing with a Neuroi, an enemy of humanity with weapons and technology that surpassed conventional weaponry. Without Witches, they stood no chance against them. But besides having two such people onboard, they had a complimentary of fighters for support.
"Prepare all fighter planes for takeoff. We'll show how a cornered rat bites the cat."
In a room within the Akagi was a short, brown haired 14-year-old girl who cringed on top of a bed. Her whole body shriveled as she held her legs tightly by her chest. She covered her eyes with her knees as the carrier continued to rumble from the enemy's attacks.
"Miyafuji!"
Yoshika jumped from her perched state when a sharp voice demanded her attention. She laid her feet back onto the ground as another girl came in. She bore long black hair tied to a ponytail. She had a white eyepatch cover her right side and an uncovered hazel left eye.
"Sakamoto-san…"
Yoshika Miyafuji faced her new superior officer, Squadron Leader Mio Sakamoto of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. The officer gave a stern look as she approached her recruit.
"What's with that face? And you call yourself a Witch of Fuso?"
"But…the shaking won't stop."
"It can't be helped."
Mio sighed. Finding a timid Yoshika was not surprising for her. She was like this ever since Mio found her content with her peaceful life. She knelt before the young girl and pushed her chin up.
"Come lift your face to me and don't move," she placed a small circular device in Yoshika's ear. The process made the young girl blush. "That's an intercom. With that, you can talk to me whenever we are apart. Use it when you're in an emergency. Understand?"
Before Yoshika could answer, another shockwave rocked the quarters. Alarms went off in the carrier to signal all aircraft to prepare for launch.
"Okay, now I have to go."
Mio stood back and turned to the door.
"Sakamoto-san…are you really going to fight them?"
"Of course. That's my duty, after all."
"But Sakamoto-san…I…I want to…"
"You stay. Don't go outside, no matter what."
"But…"
"I'll be fine. Just sit back and watch."
Mio exited the quarters. The speechless Yoshika was alone again. She heard the alarms and orders from the officers continuously. But all she could do was sit there.
"Everyone is out fighting. And yet, I…I…"
Yoshika did not board the ship for the sake of fighting; she was never the type to accept this reality. She wanted to do something, but with her given orders, she did not know what to do.
Propeller engines roared to life on the Akagi's deck. Around a dozen white Fuso fighters lined up to prepare for launch, all of which were A6M models codenamed "Zero."
Mio Sakamoto led the wing from the carrier's front elevator. She wore a Striker Unit based on the A6M3a version of the Zero and carried a Type-99 Model 2 Kai cannon in her arms. But her signature weapon was a Masakuni-type katana, which she received from her former master. Her Striker Unit spun its propellers, ears and a tail of a Doberman sprouted, and a magic circle emitted below her as she eyed on the Neuroi in front of her.
"Mio Sakamoto, taking off!"
The Major Witch took off first. The Zeros behind followed one to two planes at a time. When all of the Akagi's aircraft took off, the Neuroi fired another wave of beams at the fleet and destroyed another escort ship.
Mio paid no attention to the destruction as the planes trailed behind her. They all faced the Neuroi dead ahead. She received a message from one of the three pilots close behind as they approached the massive alien weapon.
"Incoming message from our superior. The 501st Joint Fighter Wing is heading towards our fleet. ETA 20 minutes."
"Then we either defeat the Neuroi here or hold out until they arrive."
Mio flew past the black craft as it fired its beams at her. The other planes scattered to avoid the red beams as well. The Witch flew above the Neuroi as she gave her orders.
"The Neuroi cannot be defeated without crushing its core. All planes draw their fire while I fly above and take it out."
The planes complied by circling the Neuroi. The descended below to pick up speed as the Neuroi fired beams from its underbelly. The rapid acceleration of the planes allowed them to avoid the beams with ease.
The diversion gave Mio time to reveal her other signature power. She lifted her eyepatch to show a red eye with a black iris. Her vision darkened as she scanned the entire Neuroi. To her surprise, she had no luck finding the core.
Her vision returned to normal when she noticed several glares from the top of the Neuroi. Multiple beams converged to attack, forcing Mio to put up a barrier. Several beams missed but a few pummeled her shield. The incredible power of the beams budged her backward. A veteran Witch knew well how to block, but an old veteran Witch was another story. Even so, no beam went through her shield, and she could still fight.
She scanned the Neuroi again when it was clear to give it another go. Still, there was no luck in finding a glowing red spot within the craft.
"The Neuroi is like a hedgehog. Even I can't find the core."
She noticed the Neuroi attacking the escorts. A few beams damaged another destroyer, and another splashed a Zero from the sky. Mio could not find the core and soldiers were getting taken down. She had to take more offensive action.
The Witch descended from the sky and fired a few rounds from her cannon. She approached the Neuroi while avoiding the beams from the red spots. With no danger of counterattack, she shot her gun at the center of the Neuroi. She flew away before firing a few more rounds to inflict more damage.
When the smoke cleared, Mio observed the damage. Although her shots put decent dents onto the craft, they healed up quickly as one of the Neuroi's natural abilities. She noticed through her quickly Magan eye that the energy outlining the ship increased to accelerate its regeneration. It wasn't enough to detect the core, so she had to take it even further.
Sakamoto descended at the craft against as it shot down two more Zeros. She circled its left wing and fired a few more rounds at it. She did not have to check the damage; the number of shots was enough to dent any Neuroi shell. Instead of firing a few more rounds, she put her cannon behind her back and charged forward.
Mio unsheathed her sword and flew behind the Neuroi's left wing. She let out a war cry as she aimed for the crack within the shell midway from the fuselage. With all her might, she cut deeply into the wing. With such a hardened shell, she used all of her strength to tear the left wing in half. The piece that flew off the Neuroi disintegrated into white feathers before the other pilots.
The lost of a wing should be enough for the Neuroi to increase its regeneration ability at a far higher rate. She could tell as her Magan showed far more energy from the craft. It was a sign that the core needed to channel more energy to recover from such an attack. For that reason, she could easily see the energy signature emitting from the very center of Neuroi.
"All escorting planes, the Neuroi core is at the exact center. Converge your fire to expose the core."
"Major Sakamoto, new contacts from our three!"
The pilot's distressed voice prompted Mio to her turn her right. It was too distant to see the enemy, and clouds were in the way. She had to use her Magan's second ability to get a visual. Around 200 meters was the last thing she expected, a swarm of ten more Neuroi heading towards the Akagi. They were smaller versions of the Neuroi they were fighting at the moment, but the numbers were very problematic.
"Reinforcements? But how?"
As the smaller Neuroi craft got within range, they fired a barrage of beams at the fleet and its escorts. Mio put up a shield to deflect a few more beams. But the reinforcements managed to sink a cruiser and destroy three more fighters in a single volley. Even though Mio could easily deal with such enemies, the Fuso fleet now faced a disadvantage in numbers.
The larger Neuroi regenerated its wing and retaliated with another volley of red beams. Mio barely dodged the first few beams in time as she was caught off guard. She erected another barrier to block a few more beams, but the battle took its toll on her. She held the barrier long enough to avoid getting shot down as a weakened beam grazed her by the jacket.
The smaller Neuroi continued their onslaught by destroying the remaining Zeros and two more escort ships. The crew on the damaged ships began evacuating even as the smaller craft fired on them as well. Sakamoto glared at the gritty situation that had occurred on them.
"Damnit, it can't end like this. I will succeed no matter what the cost!"
Just before she had thoughts of a suicide run, one of the smaller Neuroi ships exploded. Mio searched for who could have fired such a shot. All of the ships were heavily damaged save for the Akagi, and all their main guns were inoperable. It could not be from Britannia either since it was too soon for their reinforcements. Therefore, it had to come from somewhere outside.
Mio caught a glimpse of a second round that impacted the larger Neuroi, which let out an electronic screech. The attack came from behind the Akagi and the enemy Neuroi, out in the open waters. The Witch used her Magan zoom in on their unexpected supporters.
"What is in Fuso's name?"
Three were also already a soothing sight to see, as they were all from the 501st. But there were two girls she did not recognize. What further added to the mystery was their method of flight without a Striker Unit. One rode on a large anti-tank rifle like it was a broom while another emitted flames from her arms and feet. She could not help but wonder who these girls were and what the Karsland Witches were up to this past month.
Out in the distance, Gertrud fired another powerful shot from one of her two weapons. Her squad was in a finger-four formation with Erica on her left, Francesca and Alice on her left. The Psionic girl propelled herself with flames on both her hands and feet to keep up with the girls.
Izetta trailed behind the group on her rifle. She used her time to check the mana in the area before continuing. It was necessary to stay behind due to circumstances that kept her as a last line of defense.
Gertrud double checked her secondary weapon after firing a few times for any issue. Aside from her MG42, she also wielded an MG151/20 cannon. She used that weapon to get two clear shot at the larger Neuroi, though one of them hit a smaller Neuroi instead.
"Enemy Neuroi up ahead," Lieutenant Barkhorn touched into her intercom. "Steer clear from the battlefield and up to maximum comm range. Do not proceed until we clear the area."
The girls all escorted a passenger boat behind them. The main passengers were Fine, Bianca, Elvira, and Tipler. Fine and Tipler were by a military radio with the Murlock standing right by the microphone.
"So these are the alien creatures, huh?"
Alice was the most eager out of the group, understandably because this was her first time testing her power against a Neuroi. For that reason, Tipler was the most worried.
"Be careful out there, Alice-sama."
"Hey, who do you think I am!?"
"A thick-headed pyromaniac who charges in head first," Erica remarked.
"Just don't go too far, Izetta," Fine spoke into the microphone. "You must not charge in by yourself either."
Tipler turned to the Archduchess, know well about her biggest worries.
"You're concerned about her fighting these Neuroi?"
"I can not force her to stay out, but even if her fight against Germania, she's facing a very different enemy here."
Gertrud responded upon overhearing Fine and Tipler's dialogue.
"Based on our recent discovery, this should be the best route for her to remain active in combat."
Alice nodded as she turned her head behind and towards Izetta.
"But are you sure you can fight a Neuroi? They're not human, and you may have those special lances, but they're far stronger than any Germanian weapon. Those mere swords won't do much either."
Izetta had a large number of obtained a massive response from her hand before answering.
"If I concentrate my power enough, I'll be fine."
The girl noticed a flash from the battlefield. The girls broke away as several red beams cruised past them. One of them got close to hitting Izetta, prompting to call out her blades.
"Everyone!"
The swords all weaved into a square angled in another direction like what she did in Coenenberg. Unlike that time, however, she focused vast amounts of mana that made it glow bright green. Although the beam pushed the shield of swords backward and metal heated up where it impacted, it split apart and deflected away from the Witch. Moreover, the energy dissipated upon collision with the mana surrounding the shield. Therefore, it acted like her magic shield compared to her Witch allies.
The other girls noticed the girl emerging from the dented swords unharmed. As stunned as they were, they prioritized the small Neuroi that faced them. Alice went ahead of the Witch to face the enemy.
"Seems like we have no choice then. Let's do this!"
"Alice, get back and wait for my orders," Gertrud calls her through the intercom, but a wave of beams interfered. "Lucchini, Hartmann, follow my lead and clear the sky of all Neuroi!"
The three Witches from 501st went into a single group together. Izetta remained behind as she rechecked her mana and aimed her rifle towards the human fleet.
Leading the charge was Alice, who prepared a fistful of flames in her right hand. She used her quick reflexes and mobility to avoid the next wave of beams. When approaching the closest craft, she threw a sphere of flame with all her power, disintegrating it into a massive fireball. She jerked again to avoid the set of beams converging in her direction.
Gertrud used Alice's diversion to her advantage. She fired another round from her cannon, followed by a stream of fire from her MG42. Francesca and Erica attacked another Neuroi and quickly destroyed its core, disintegrating it into white feathers. The Witches flew past the remaining two as they fired more beams at the girls.
Alice threw another spark of flame at a Neuroi, which only exposed its core. She evaded another wave of beams after that, though one graze her by her gauntlet. A swarm of swords then pelted the two Neuroi as Izetta approached the girls. Before they could diverge their attention to the White Witch, both were destroyed by another one of Alice's sparks and another barrage from Gertrud's squadron.
With all the attackers down, Alice the 501st Witches flew towards the human fleet that came under attack. Gertrud assessed the situation, witnessing all of the damaged and sinking ships, save for the aircraft carrier.
"The emergency call most likely came from this carrier."
Alice circled the nearby sinking ships. The men stood in surprise upon seeing a girl propelling flames from her feet and hands without any Striker Unit. But Alice focused more on the flags raised by the sinking this.
"That's a weird flag they're raising."
Gertrud twitched her eye as she corrected Alice through the intercom.
"It's the flag for the Fuso Imperial Navy. That aircraft carrier is Akagi."
"You know that ship?"
"Another Witch from the 501st unit was assigned to that unit not long ago. She's supposed to recruit new Witches to the unit, that is if she's still alive."
Another voice came into their communications.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in! I repeat, Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in!"
The flying lieutenant responded to Sakamoto's voice.
"This is Lieutenant Barkhorn. Is that you, Major?"
"I see you returned from mainland Europe and brought a bunch of guests along. Report your purpose."
Mio blocked another beam with her weakened shield as Gertrud replied.
"Commander Wilcke assigned us to escort a passenger boat with VIPs to the base. Two additional girls volunteered for the mission to fight alongside us."
"Two Witches for Karsland?"
"Negative."
Following Gertrud's answer, Alice flew over to Sakamoto's side. The Squadron Leader easily knew she was not an ordinary Witch and what intrigued her the most was her fire-propulsion as her means of flight. The young girl greeted the woman.
"Heya, we saw you guys were in trouble, so we figured we come along!"
Gertrud continued through her intercom.
"Although she's not of military or political importance, one is extremely interested in the war effort. Despite her recklessness, she possesses powers never seen before and should be brought to our commander for evaluation."
In the middle of Gertrud's report, another small Neuroi aimed at Mio and Alice. The Psionic girl reacted with another spark, exposing its core. When it returned fire, Alice flew black and to the side. Mio charged forward and cut the core in half. She turned to Alice, who struggled to regain control after the close encounter, prompting her to sigh.
"Very well," Mio gave her orders as she faced the Akagi, which was still under attack by the larger Neuroi. "First, help clear the airspace of all Neuroi. Then we will provide escort for your passenger boat. Does it have room on the ship?"
"Only a handful of passengers are onboard. We should be able to take in a few lifeboats."
"Understood. Once the sky is clear, have the boat picking up any survivors along the way. We'll need to carry all-"
Before Mio could finish, another voice only she knew came through the intercom.
"Sakamoto-san, are you alright? Sakamoto-san!"
The young girl's voice surprised the other girls besides Mio, who was far more agitated.
"You idiot! What the hell are you doing?"
"Sakamoto-san…you're all right, thank goodness."
"I told you not to leave the room! Get back!"
"Sakamoto-san…"
Another smaller Neuroi attacked, prompting her to use her shield again. As the Neuroi passed her, Alice threw another spark to damage its wing. Sakamoto returned to Miyafuji on the intercom.
"This is not where you should be! You're just getting in the way!"
"But I want to do what I can, as well!"
"Miyafuji, listen to me! There is nothing you can do now! Get back in the room quickly!"
"Sakamoto-san?"
"Major Sakamoto," Gertrud came in on the line, who overheard the conversation. "What is going on here?"
"Yeah," Alice agreed as she hovered to Mio's side. "You know this girl?"
"She's…a potential candidate for recruitment. Her orders are to stay inside the carrier no matter what happens."
"She sure doesn't sound too happy about that."
Alice threw another spark at a small Neuroi as Mio complimented.
"Honestly, she's a reckless girl but has a lot of guts. We got to show the same."
The descended over the larger Neuroi as it closed in on the carrier. Mio relayed to the other girls.
"Attention, the larger Neuroi's core is in the exact center. Focus your fire on it and-"
"Sakamoto-san!"
Miyafuji's voice cried out that prompted Mio to snap her attention back to the Akagi. Before her eyes, a Neuroi beam pierced the Akagi directly. An explosion erupted from the elevator and flames spit around the deck.
"The Akagi," Alice stuttered. "It's…"
"Miyafuji, do you read me?" Mio called the young girl through her intercom again. "Miyafuji, come in! Miyafuji!"
After a few seconds, there was still no response from the young Witch. What pained her the most was that her father worked on the Striker Units that allowed Witches to fight against the Neuroi. In other words, she was her closest acquaintance's daughter.
The rest of the battle will end in the third part of the Episode.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Also, for references, all the enemies you see will take the form of the Horton 229 like in Episode 2 of Strike Witches.
In the northern regions of the European continent laid a handful of large islands. One of them was a significant power on the side of the Allies known as the Kingdom of Britannia. While it had a sizable ground, air, and naval force, it was inferior compared to their opponent on the other side of the channel. Even so, it was the main base for their best Witches and the final stronghold against the relentless attacks from Germania and the Neuroi on the continent.
In the waters near Britannia's shores, a fleet of vessels enroute to the islands came under attack. They were composed of several escort ships and a leading aircraft carrier. They raised a white flag with a red crescent moon to indicate their nationality. A handful of explosions in the water rocked the flagship as voices shouted through the speakers.
"All ships, maintain course while taking evasive action! I repeat, maintain course while taking evasive action!"
The Fuso aircraft carrier Akagi and its destroyer escorts were on their way to the islands after tending to an assignment in its home country. After traveling halfway across the world, they were suddenly intercepted by a large black vessel that shot many red beams at the fleet. Many were damaged, but the beams only bombarded the waters near the carrier. The repeated near misses startled the commanding officers within the bridge.
"Damn them, why won't they just finish us off?"
"Maybe they're just toying with us?"
Another beam startled the men. The soldiers were dealing with a Neuroi, an enemy of humanity with weapons and technology that surpassed conventional weaponry. Without Witches, they stood no chance against them. But besides having two such people onboard, they had a complimentary of fighters for support.
"Prepare all fighter planes for takeoff. We'll show how a cornered rat bites the cat."
In a room within the Akagi was a short, brown haired 14-year-old girl who cringed on top of a bed. Her whole body shriveled as she held her legs tightly by her chest. She covered her eyes with her knees as the carrier continued to rumble from the enemy's attacks.
"Miyafuji!"
Yoshika jumped from her perched state when a sharp voice demanded her attention. She laid her feet back onto the ground as another girl came in. She bore long black hair tied to a ponytail. She had a white eyepatch cover her right side and an uncovered hazel left eye.
"Sakamoto-san…"
Yoshika Miyafuji faced her new superior officer, Squadron Leader Mio Sakamoto of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. The officer gave a stern look as she approached her recruit.
"What's with that face? And you call yourself a Witch of Fuso?"
"But…the shaking won't stop."
"It can't be helped."
Mio sighed. Finding a timid Yoshika was not surprising for her. She was like this ever since Mio found her content with her peaceful life. She knelt before the young girl and pushed her chin up.
"Come lift your face to me and don't move," she placed a small circular device in Yoshika's ear. The process made the young girl blush. "That's an intercom. With that, you can talk to me whenever we are apart. Use it when you're in an emergency. Understand?"
Before Yoshika could answer, another shockwave rocked the quarters. Alarms went off in the carrier to signal all aircraft to prepare for launch.
"Okay, now I have to go."
Mio stood back and turned to the door.
"Sakamoto-san…are you really going to fight them?"
"Of course. That's my duty, after all."
"But Sakamoto-san…I…I want to…"
"You stay. Don't go outside, no matter what."
"But…"
"I'll be fine. Just sit back and watch."
Mio exited the quarters. The speechless Yoshika was alone again. She heard the alarms and orders from the officers continuously. But all she could do was sit there.
"Everyone is out fighting. And yet, I…I…"
Yoshika did not board the ship for the sake of fighting; she was never the type to accept this reality. She wanted to do something, but with her given orders, she did not know what to do.
Propeller engines roared to life on the Akagi's deck. Around a dozen white Fuso fighters lined up to prepare for launch, all of which were A6M models codenamed "Zero."
Mio Sakamoto led the wing from the carrier's front elevator. She wore a Striker Unit based on the A6M3a version of the Zero and carried a Type-99 Model 2 Kai cannon in her arms. But her signature weapon was a Masakuni-type katana, which she received from her former master. Her Striker Unit spun its propellers, ears and a tail of a Doberman sprouted, and a magic circle emitted below her as she eyed on the Neuroi in front of her.
"Mio Sakamoto, taking off!"
The Major Witch took off first. The Zeros behind followed one to two planes at a time. When all of the Akagi's aircraft took off, the Neuroi fired another wave of beams at the fleet and destroyed another escort ship.
Mio paid no attention to the destruction as the planes trailed behind her. They all faced the Neuroi dead ahead. She received a message from one of the three pilots close behind as they approached the massive alien weapon.
"Incoming message from our superior. The 501st Joint Fighter Wing is heading towards our fleet. ETA 20 minutes."
"Then we either defeat the Neuroi here or hold out until they arrive."
Mio flew past the black craft as it fired its beams at her. The other planes scattered to avoid the red beams as well. The Witch flew above the Neuroi as she gave her orders.
"The Neuroi cannot be defeated without crushing its core. All planes draw their fire while I fly above and take it out."
The planes complied by circling the Neuroi. The descended below to pick up speed as the Neuroi fired beams from its underbelly. The rapid acceleration of the planes allowed them to avoid the beams with ease.
The diversion gave Mio time to reveal her other signature power. She lifted her eyepatch to show a red eye with a black iris. Her vision darkened as she scanned the entire Neuroi. To her surprise, she had no luck finding the core.
Her vision returned to normal when she noticed several glares from the top of the Neuroi. Multiple beams converged to attack, forcing Mio to put up a barrier. Several beams missed but a few pummeled her shield. The incredible power of the beams budged her backward. A veteran Witch knew well how to block, but an old veteran Witch was another story. Even so, no beam went through her shield, and she could still fight.
She scanned the Neuroi again when it was clear to give it another go. Still, there was no luck in finding a glowing red spot within the craft.
"The Neuroi is like a hedgehog. Even I can't find the core."
She noticed the Neuroi attacking the escorts. A few beams damaged another destroyer, and another splashed a Zero from the sky. Mio could not find the core and soldiers were getting taken down. She had to take more offensive action.
The Witch descended from the sky and fired a few rounds from her cannon. She approached the Neuroi while avoiding the beams from the red spots. With no danger of counterattack, she shot her gun at the center of the Neuroi. She flew away before firing a few more rounds to inflict more damage.
When the smoke cleared, Mio observed the damage. Although her shots put decent dents onto the craft, they healed up quickly as one of the Neuroi's natural abilities. She noticed through her quickly Magan eye that the energy outlining the ship increased to accelerate its regeneration. It wasn't enough to detect the core, so she had to take it even further.
Sakamoto descended at the craft against as it shot down two more Zeros. She circled its left wing and fired a few more rounds at it. She did not have to check the damage; the number of shots was enough to dent any Neuroi shell. Instead of firing a few more rounds, she put her cannon behind her back and charged forward.
Mio unsheathed her sword and flew behind the Neuroi's left wing. She let out a war cry as she aimed for the crack within the shell midway from the fuselage. With all her might, she cut deeply into the wing. With such a hardened shell, she used all of her strength to tear the left wing in half. The piece that flew off the Neuroi disintegrated into white feathers before the other pilots.
The lost of a wing should be enough for the Neuroi to increase its regeneration ability at a far higher rate. She could tell as her Magan showed far more energy from the craft. It was a sign that the core needed to channel more energy to recover from such an attack. For that reason, she could easily see the energy signature emitting from the very center of Neuroi.
"All escorting planes, the Neuroi core is at the exact center. Converge your fire to expose the core."
"Major Sakamoto, new contacts from our three!"
The pilot's distressed voice prompted Mio to her turn her right. It was too distant to see the enemy, and clouds were in the way. She had to use her Magan's second ability to get a visual. Around 200 meters was the last thing she expected, a swarm of ten more Neuroi heading towards the Akagi. They were smaller versions of the Neuroi they were fighting at the moment, but the numbers were very problematic.
"Reinforcements? But how?"
As the smaller Neuroi craft got within range, they fired a barrage of beams at the fleet and its escorts. Mio put up a shield to deflect a few more beams. But the reinforcements managed to sink a cruiser and destroy three more fighters in a single volley. Even though Mio could easily deal with such enemies, the Fuso fleet now faced a disadvantage in numbers.
The larger Neuroi regenerated its wing and retaliated with another volley of red beams. Mio barely dodged the first few beams in time as she was caught off guard. She erected another barrier to block a few more beams, but the battle took its toll on her. She held the barrier long enough to avoid getting shot down as a weakened beam grazed her by the jacket.
The smaller Neuroi continued their onslaught by destroying the remaining Zeros and two more escort ships. The crew on the damaged ships began evacuating even as the smaller craft fired on them as well. Sakamoto glared at the gritty situation that had occurred on them.
"Damnit, it can't end like this. I will succeed no matter what the cost!"
Just before she had thoughts of a suicide run, one of the smaller Neuroi ships exploded. Mio searched for who could have fired such a shot. All of the ships were heavily damaged save for the Akagi, and all their main guns were inoperable. It could not be from Britannia either since it was too soon for their reinforcements. Therefore, it had to come from somewhere outside.
Mio caught a glimpse of a second round that impacted the larger Neuroi, which let out an electronic screech. The attack came from behind the Akagi and the enemy Neuroi, out in the open waters. The Witch used her Magan zoom in on their unexpected supporters.
"What is in Fuso's name?"
Three were also already a soothing sight to see, as they were all from the 501st. But there were two girls she did not recognize. What further added to the mystery was their method of flight without a Striker Unit. One rode on a large anti-tank rifle like it was a broom while another emitted flames from her arms and feet. She could not help but wonder who these girls were and what the Karsland Witches were up to this past month.
Out in the distance, Gertrud fired another powerful shot from one of her two weapons. Her squad was in a finger-four formation with Erica on her left, Francesca and Alice on her left. The Psionic girl propelled herself with flames on both her hands and feet to keep up with the girls.
Izetta trailed behind the group on her rifle. She used her time to check the mana in the area before continuing. It was necessary to stay behind due to circumstances that kept her as a last line of defense.
Gertrud double checked her secondary weapon after firing a few times for any issue. Aside from her MG42, she also wielded an MG151/20 cannon. She used that weapon to get two clear shot at the larger Neuroi, though one of them hit a smaller Neuroi instead.
"Enemy Neuroi up ahead," Lieutenant Barkhorn touched into her intercom. "Steer clear from the battlefield and up to maximum comm range. Do not proceed until we clear the area."
The girls all escorted a passenger boat behind them. The main passengers were Fine, Bianca, Elvira, and Tipler. Fine and Tipler were by a military radio with the Murlock standing right by the microphone.
"So these are the alien creatures, huh?"
Alice was the most eager out of the group, understandably because this was her first time testing her power against a Neuroi. For that reason, Tipler was the most worried.
"Be careful out there, Alice-sama."
"Hey, who do you think I am!?"
"A thick-headed pyromaniac who charges in head first," Erica remarked.
"Just don't go too far, Izetta," Fine spoke into the microphone. "You must not charge in by yourself either."
Tipler turned to the Archduchess, know well about her biggest worries.
"You're concerned about her fighting these Neuroi?"
"I can not force her to stay out, but even if her fight against Germania, she's facing a very different enemy here."
Gertrud responded upon overhearing Fine and Tipler's dialogue.
"Based on our recent discovery, this should be the best route for her to remain active in combat."
Alice nodded as she turned her head behind and towards Izetta.
"But are you sure you can fight a Neuroi? They're not human, and you may have those special lances, but they're far stronger than any Germanian weapon. Those mere swords won't do much either."
Izetta had a large number of obtained a massive response from her hand before answering.
"If I concentrate my power enough, I'll be fine."
The girl noticed a flash from the battlefield. The girls broke away as several red beams cruised past them. One of them got close to hitting Izetta, prompting to call out her blades.
"Everyone!"
The swords all weaved into a square angled in another direction like what she did in Coenenberg. Unlike that time, however, she focused vast amounts of mana that made it glow bright green. Although the beam pushed the shield of swords backward and metal heated up where it impacted, it split apart and deflected away from the Witch. Moreover, the energy dissipated upon collision with the mana surrounding the shield. Therefore, it acted like her magic shield compared to her Witch allies.
The other girls noticed the girl emerging from the dented swords unharmed. As stunned as they were, they prioritized the small Neuroi that faced them. Alice went ahead of the Witch to face the enemy.
"Seems like we have no choice then. Let's do this!"
"Alice, get back and wait for my orders," Gertrud calls her through the intercom, but a wave of beams interfered. "Lucchini, Hartmann, follow my lead and clear the sky of all Neuroi!"
The three Witches from 501st went into a single group together. Izetta remained behind as she rechecked her mana and aimed her rifle towards the human fleet.
Leading the charge was Alice, who prepared a fistful of flames in her right hand. She used her quick reflexes and mobility to avoid the next wave of beams. When approaching the closest craft, she threw a sphere of flame with all her power, disintegrating it into a massive fireball. She jerked again to avoid the set of beams converging in her direction.
Gertrud used Alice's diversion to her advantage. She fired another round from her cannon, followed by a stream of fire from her MG42. Francesca and Erica attacked another Neuroi and quickly destroyed its core, disintegrating it into white feathers. The Witches flew past the remaining two as they fired more beams at the girls.
Alice threw another spark of flame at a Neuroi, which only exposed its core. She evaded another wave of beams after that, though one graze her by her gauntlet. A swarm of swords then pelted the two Neuroi as Izetta approached the girls. Before they could diverge their attention to the White Witch, both were destroyed by another one of Alice's sparks and another barrage from Gertrud's squadron.
With all the attackers down, Alice the 501st Witches flew towards the human fleet that came under attack. Gertrud assessed the situation, witnessing all of the damaged and sinking ships, save for the aircraft carrier.
"The emergency call most likely came from this carrier."
Alice circled the nearby sinking ships. The men stood in surprise upon seeing a girl propelling flames from her feet and hands without any Striker Unit. But Alice focused more on the flags raised by the sinking this.
"That's a weird flag they're raising."
Gertrud twitched her eye as she corrected Alice through the intercom.
"It's the flag for the Fuso Imperial Navy. That aircraft carrier is Akagi."
"You know that ship?"
"Another Witch from the 501st unit was assigned to that unit not long ago. She's supposed to recruit new Witches to the unit, that is if she's still alive."
Another voice came into their communications.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in! I repeat, Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in!"
The flying lieutenant responded to Sakamoto's voice.
"This is Lieutenant Barkhorn. Is that you, Major?"
"I see you returned from mainland Europe and brought a bunch of guests along. Report your purpose."
Mio blocked another beam with her weakened shield as Gertrud replied.
"Commander Wilcke assigned us to escort a passenger boat with VIPs to the base. Two additional girls volunteered for the mission to fight alongside us."
"Two Witches for Karsland?"
"Negative."
Following Gertrud's answer, Alice flew over to Sakamoto's side. The Squadron Leader easily knew she was not an ordinary Witch and what intrigued her the most was her fire-propulsion as her means of flight. The young girl greeted the woman.
"Heya, we saw you guys were in trouble, so we figured we come along!"
Gertrud continued through her intercom.
"Although she's not of military or political importance, one is extremely interested in the war effort. Despite her recklessness, she possesses powers never seen before and should be brought to our commander for evaluation."
In the middle of Gertrud's report, another small Neuroi aimed at Mio and Alice. The Psionic girl reacted with another spark, exposing its core. When it returned fire, Alice flew black and to the side. Mio charged forward and cut the core in half. She turned to Alice, who struggled to regain control after the close encounter, prompting her to sigh.
"Very well," Mio gave her orders as she faced the Akagi, which was still under attack by the larger Neuroi. "First, help clear the airspace of all Neuroi. Then we will provide escort for your passenger boat. Does it have room on the ship?"
"Only a handful of passengers are onboard. We should be able to take in a few lifeboats."
"Understood. Once the sky is clear, have the boat picking up any survivors along the way. We'll need to carry all-"
Before Mio could finish, another voice only she knew came through the intercom.
"Sakamoto-san, are you alright? Sakamoto-san!"
The young girl's voice surprised the other girls besides Mio, who was far more agitated.
"You idiot! What the hell are you doing?"
"Sakamoto-san…you're all right, thank goodness."
"I told you not to leave the room! Get back!"
"Sakamoto-san…"
Another smaller Neuroi attacked, prompting her to use her shield again. As the Neuroi passed her, Alice threw another spark to damage its wing. Sakamoto returned to Miyafuji on the intercom.
"This is not where you should be! You're just getting in the way!"
"But I want to do what I can, as well!"
"Miyafuji, listen to me! There is nothing you can do now! Get back in the room quickly!"
"Sakamoto-san?"
"Major Sakamoto," Gertrud came in on the line, who overheard the conversation. "What is going on here?"
"Yeah," Alice agreed as she hovered to Mio's side. "You know this girl?"
"She's…a potential candidate for recruitment. Her orders are to stay inside the carrier no matter what happens."
"She sure doesn't sound too happy about that."
Alice threw another spark at a small Neuroi as Mio complimented.
"Honestly, she's a reckless girl but has a lot of guts. We got to show the same."
The descended over the larger Neuroi as it closed in on the carrier. Mio relayed to the other girls.
"Attention, the larger Neuroi's core is in the exact center. Focus your fire on it and-"
"Sakamoto-san!"
Miyafuji's voice cried out that prompted Mio to snap her attention back to the Akagi. Before her eyes, a Neuroi beam pierced the Akagi directly. An explosion erupted from the elevator and flames spit around the deck.
"The Akagi," Alice stuttered. "It's…"
"Miyafuji, do you read me?" Mio called the young girl through her intercom again. "Miyafuji, come in! Miyafuji!"
After a few seconds, there was still no response from the young Witch. What pained her the most was that her father worked on the Striker Units that allowed Witches to fight against the Neuroi. In other words, she was her closest acquaintance's daughter.
The rest of the battle will end in the third part of the Episode.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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Episode 4-3
Here it is, the second half of the battle and the conclusion of the chapter. Enjoy.
The interior of the aircraft carrier did not burn, but it sent shockwaves and smoke throughout the decks. Alarms went off as the ship took in water. The officers did their best to keep the ship afloat amid the damage from the Neuroi attacks.
In the aircraft hanger below the main deck laid a knocked-out Yoshika. A few seconds ago, she left her room despite Mio's orders to reach her new superior. She ran through the docks as she searched the decks for anything she could do onboard. When a Neuroi beam struck the ship, the shock threw her into the air, and she hit hard face first onto the metal floor.
The young girl was now barely conscious as she reminisced why she came here. Her mother and grandmother protested as did she, but Major Sakamoto wanted her to join the 501st anyway. It wasn't that she wanted to fight, but because Major Sakamoto knew her father, who left her a long time ago for reasons unknown. Not even she knew until recently that his main research was designing Striker Units, with Major Sakamoto as a test pilot.
Her father was a great man as if he could do anything. But she was not her father. She remained behind all this time, and even with her special power of healing hands, she found herself too clumsy to act useful. Now she was just lying here, watching life dwindle as the light shone on her face.
I'm sorry, Father, the little girl apologized. I can't do anything…
"Yoshika…"
A voice came out before the girl. Her eyes were blurry, but she saw a shadow blocking the light as she entered a dream-like state.
F-Father?
"Yoshika, you have a great power just like your mother and grandmother before you. With that power, you must become a great person and protect everyone."
Father…
The image of her father turned away and disappeared. From there, she recalled the photo that Mio had with her. It was a photo of the Major and Dr. Miyafuji along with a handful of other scientists. In the center was their main project, the Striker Unit, the mainstream weapon of Witches.
She remembered that photo, which prompted Yoshika to snap out of her semi-conscious state. She picked herself up from the ground and viewed her surroundings. She was in the carrier's central elevator, where flames and smoke brewed everywhere. But in the center was a weapon that remained fully intact.
"A Striker Unit?"
The unit was another AGM3a model of the Zero. It remained in perfect condition, more than lucky for a something caught in the blast of a Neuroi beam. She did not understand how it was possible, but there were only two Witches including herself and no seemed to claim ownership. It was like the unit was there just for her. Clenching her fists, Yoshika knew what to do.
The situation did not turn out better in the skies. Although it was fortunate that reinforcements arrived for Mio, but even that was not enough if the Akagi was sunk.
The Major continued to make a run on the larger Neuroi, which was repeatedly hindered by the smaller ships that got in the way. Izetta appeared the last time and guarded her against another volley of beams, which nearly tore apart the swords. Gertrud's squad then arrived to shoot down the enemy ship. The large Neuroi craft returned fire by attacking all of the Witches, forcing them to project their barriers. Alice was too busy avoiding two more Neuroi craft that kept pursuing her.
Mio struggled over projecting the latest attack. Besides getting tired, she observed the crew on the Akagi preparing lifeboats. Her gun also overheated and ran out of ammunition, so she had to discard it. It won't be long before the carrier sinks under this kind of punishment.
That was until Alice's came on.
"Girls…Witches…there's something happening on the Akagi!"
The girl turned to the carrier to see smoke clearing from the carrier. It was the central elevator where a Neuroi struck not long ago.
"The elevator is in use," Mio noticed. "Could it be…!"
Emerging from the smoke was Yoshika, who already equipped her Striker Unit. She carried a Type 99 Model 2 Kai cannon on her back, the same firearm as Mio wielded. The young girl strengthened her resolve as she spun her Striker's propellers.
I have to do whatever I can, she thought to herself. To keep my promise…to protect everyone!
The young girl sprouted ears and a tail from a Mameshiba dog. She then emitted a large magic circle, far bigger than a normal Witch. Francesca was the most bewildered of the group.
"Who the heck is that? And why does she have a Striker Unit?"
"Miyafuji…"
Alice was the first to her Mio's words.
"Miyafuji?"
"The daughter of Dr. Miyafuji, the inventor of the Striker Unit."
"Wait, you're saying her father made those things!?"
Yoshika spun her Striker Unit's propellers. When she thought she had enough speed, she released the restraints on her unit.
"Here I go!"
The young Witch accelerated across the deck. She had decent speed, but when she left the Akagi, she now faced a control problem. She found herself spinning as descended closer to the water. The officers and even Mio called from afar.
"Pick yourself up already! You want to die or not!?"
"Fly, Miyafuji!"
Yoshika used all of her might to pull herself up, giving her Striker Unit far more power in return. She closed her eyes on the entire ordeal and soared into the air. Her eyes remained closed as she expected herself to crash into the ocean. But when she did feel anything hard hit her, she noticed herself.
"I-I'm flying?"
Upon opening her eyes, she found herself high in the sky. She continued gaining altitude as her legs stood still in awe of what just happened.
"I'M FLYING!"
"No way," an astounded Mio gazed at the flying daughter of Miyafuji. "It's her first time wearing a Striker, and she managed to fly in one go…"
The said daughter then soared past Miyafuji, started losing control again.
"Sakamoto-san!"
"Hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm here to help Sakamoto-san!"
Yoshika called out she begun spinning in the loops. Izetta was under of what happened, but her body shook over what might happen with the poor girl. Erica and Francesca had to chuckle over the clumsy girl spinning in circles, knowing they were witnessing a rookie in action.
"Major Sakamoto sure brought an interesting Witch along."
"Amateur…"
Mio thought nothing of it as the large Neuroi distracted her. The craft responded by charging its beams. Mio noticed that it aimed for Yoshika.
"Miyafuji, watch out!"
Numerous beams erupted from the craft, which caught the young Witch's attention. She quickly regained control of her Unit and projected a barrier. What the other Witches did not expect was that immense size of the shield, which was at least three times the size any of the girls could project. Even as the Neuroi ship shot and converged its beams in an attempt to overpower her, the young girl did not budge one bit.
"EEEHH!?" Francesca's eyes widened over her sudden display of power. "How can she project a shield that big!?"
Erica merely gave a smug grin while Gertrud remained silent. But both Karsland Witches were speechless over the Witch's power. They even wondered where the Major got such a powerful Witch.
"Is this Yoshika latent potential?" Even Sakamoto was amazed by the young girl's power. She knew the Miyafuji clan had talented Witches, especially in the arts of healing, but did not expect them to wield such immense power. It turned out to be far more hopeful than she expected.
"How interesting."
Mio flew over to Miyafuji, who gained full control over her Striker Unit.
"Good of you to come, Miyafuji."
"Sakamoto-san," Yoshika approached the Major, taking the cannon out from her back. "I brought you an extra gun!"
"You should use it."
"Major Sakamoto…"
"You said you wanted to protect people, right? That weapon is yours."
Yoshika paused for the moment before nodding in compliance. The Major then drew closer and wrapped her arm around Yoshika, causing her to blush. Erica and Francesca both gave some smirks, wondering what this implied. Only Gertrud's stern face shut them up.
Mio spoke in Yoshika's ear as she aimed sword at the large Neuroi.
"Listen. The core is at the very center of that Neuroi. You help take it out while I draw its fire."
When Yoshika nodded, Mio flew ahead as the ship fired more beams. Gertrud's group went on ahead to assist the Major. Alice, who smirked and blush over her meeting with the Major, came over to the young Witch, startling her with her flame ability.
"Don't worry about us. We'll protect you while you attack the core. Right, Izetta?"
They turned to the White Witch on her rifle, who also blushed over the experience. They nodded together as they dispersed, heading for the last two smaller Neuroi.
Yoshika flew over the large Neuroi, which fired on the Witches circling it. She got a clear shot of the Neuroi, but hesitated for a few seconds, as if she wanted to make sure the shot would hit.
The large craft noticed and fired several more shots at her. Yoshika put up a barrier to deflect the beams. She had no physical injuries, but the attack still left her taking in deep breaths. Mio and the other Witches flew over to the young Witch and checked on her.
"Are you okay?"
Yoshika nodded to the Major.
"I'm fine. I can still fight."
Mio thought otherwise as she observed. She can still fight, but it would not for very long.
It's her first flight and battle. No wonder she's tired too quickly.
"You should be up in the sky in that condition," Gertrud bluntly pointed out. "Let us expose the core and-"
"No, let me try again!"
Yoshika shouted as she demanded it from her superior. The Major nodded in defeat.
"Very well, this is our last chance. We're counting on you!"
Francesca trailed behind the other Witches as they descended again.
"Alright, let's do it!"
While the Witches continued to avoid fire from the Neuroi, Yoshika aimed her cannon again. This time, she thought about the last time she did it.
If I do it the same way, I'll get hit again…what should I do?
She got a glimpse of Mio, who flew dangerously close to the Neuroi. The beams were unable to attack her or could not angle sharp enough to hit her.
That's it!
Yoshika descended towards the Neuroi. If she can get close, she'll have a safer and more confident shot at the enemy craft. She found a few more beams from the side, which came from the last two smaller Neuroi.
"Miyafuji!"
Alice flew over to Yoshika while Izetta blocked the craft with her broken swords. The Psionic girl responded by throwing another spark at one of the Neuroi. Izetta used her cannon to finish off another.
"Go get them, Miyafuji!"
Yoshika nodded to Alice as she continued. She approached the surface of the Neuroi craft, past all the enemy beams.
Just get up close to it and fire. Don't hesitate a bit, Yoshika Miyafuji!
The last Neuroi attempted to target Yoshika, but Gertrud's group intervened. Erica put up a barrier before Francesca and Gertrud destroyed it. Only the large Neuroi was left, and Yoshika aimed at the center.
I'm going to do this! I'm going to protect everyone!
She pulled the trigger as she was meters away from the center. After several shots, she could see the glowing red spot emitting from her hole. However, she already flew past it, and could no longer take the shot.
Even so, Mio noticed the exposed core and called out to everyone on the intercom.
"There's the core! Everyone, take it out!"
Except for Mio, who left to attend Yoshika, the others concentrated their fire on the red hexahedron that was the Neuroi's core. Gertrud fired both her MG42 and cannon, followed by Erica and Francesca's machinegun fire. Alice threw two more sparks of flame. Izetta ended the attack with a magically charged shot from her rifle. The bombardment obliterated the core, and the large Neuroi disintegrated into harmless white shards.
Mio did not have to look at the know the threat was over. She was too focused on Yoshika, who fainted in her arms after the attack.
Unbelievable. She did all of this, even without any training.
Francesca cheered on as they watched the remained of the defeated Neuroi disappear.
"Alright, that's one big Neuroi down for the count!"
Gertrud lowered her guns.
"Confirmed here as well."
The Lieutenant noticed something else that required Mio's attention. Although they defeated the Neuroi, the Witches from their base continued moving on. She flew over to Yoshika and Mio's side while Erica and Francesca trailed behind her.
"Major Sakamoto, the rest of the 501st is inbound. Please give us orders."
"Our mission is complete here. Have them return to base while we handle everything here. You escort us to back to the Akagi for landing and refueling."
"U-Understood."
Alice arrived near Mio's side as well, calling out to the Witches while Izetta trailed behind.
"What about us?"
Gertrud was the first to respond.
"You and the Weisse Hexe return to the Archduchess. Tell them the area is secure, but we require their boat to take in survivors."
"R-Roger!"
"R-Right!"
Alice and Izetta confirmed as they flew back to their boat. Erica and Francesca still hand in mind how close the Major was to the new girl. The Karlsand girl maintained a smug grin while Lucchini chuckled over the implications.
"They're too close."
"Perrine won't be happy when she sees this. I can tease all about it later…Tehehehe..."
"Hartmann, Lucchini, fall in line!"
"R-Right!"
As the other Witches flew away, the two from Fuso were alone. Yoshika opened her eyes and found Mio's smiling face.
"Nice work, Miyafuji."
Yoshika did not think she deserved such praise as she clung onto the Major.
"Sorry, Sakamoto-san. I couldn't do better."
"What are you talking about? You did incredible for your first time. Take a look."
Yoshika faced the soldiers as they waved over to their saviors. Many turned to the other girls from the 501st, including Alice and Izetta as they flew over. But most of them took their hats off for Yoshika, especially those on the lifeboats and the Akagi itself, including the officers from the damaged bridge. Yoshika's eyes nearly teared as the men praised her.
Father…I…I…
"Sakamoto-san!"
Yoshika jumped over the sudden shouting. She and Mio turned over to the Witches who came from Britannia. Mio facepalmed herself as she recognized the woman's voice.
"There she goes again. Wanting to this opportunity?"
A long-haired girl with glasses came over to the pair. She was a more endowed Witch with a purple uniform and long black leggings. She had the ears and tail from a Chartreux cat, and her Striker Unit resembled Galia's late VG 39 aircraft. She stored her Bern machinegun on her back as she raised her arm out to the Major.
"There you are, Sakamoto-san! I've been-"
The Galian Witch stopped halfway upon finding another Witch with the Major. The young girl was utterly oblivious to she was, which made the situation more awkward. Perrine's Striker Unit coughed up exhaust as she exclaimed angrily.
"W-What is going on here!? Who the hell are you!?"
"Eh!?"
Yoshika uttered out. Mio only responded with a laugh, right in front of the angry Witch's face.
Mio remained in her quarters within the damaged Akagi as it returned to port. The 501st who came from their base returned, shortly after driving the clingy Perrine away from the field. Mio assigned the other girls to keep themselves busy by retrieving lifeboats and rescuing any survivors. The passenger boat from Eylstadt docked next to the carrier as more soldiers climbed onboard the vessels still afloat.
The Major turned to the door after hearing it open.
"Major Sakamoto."
Gertrud entered the room with Alice, Fine, and Izetta following behind her.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn," Mio responded. "I thought I sent your team over for retrieval."
"Forgive us, Major, but we have something to discuss."
Gertrud stepped back as she showed the three guests.
"There are the VIPs from Eylstadt I mentioned earlier. This is Alice Alcubierre, Ortfine Fredricka von Eylstadt, and Izetta of the Weisse Hexe clan. They are the VIPs we escorted over from Europe who will be under our protection at our base."
"So this is the second-in-command of the 501st, huh?" Alice commented.
Mio went up to the three girls. She showed little interest in Alice since she already saw her capabilities. She focused more on the central girl, who looked like a politician or noble.
"Ah, you must be the new Archduchess from Eylstadt."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Major Sakamoto."
As Fine bowed to the Major, Gertrud briefed the situation among the girls.
"Archduchess Fine will attend the Allies' conference with Commander Wilcke next month. She requested us to escort them on her journey."
"I did not hear anything about this. Commander Wilcke?"
"The Commander told us to escort her to our base. More importantly, she has an interest in the Weisse Hexe, who appeared before during the invasion of Eylstadt."
"Weisse Hexe," She turned right to the redhead in the white gown. The White Witch looked away with a blushed face, but Mio had another concern. "I do not understand what you're talking about."
"Huh, you don't know Weisse Hexe?" Alice reacted as she turned to Gertrud. "I thought you said she was a Witch among Witches!"
"Not all of them remember the legend," Fine explained. "Those who know the legend are mainly from mainland Europe. Fuso is on the other side of the world, so it is unlikely Major Sakamoto knows who she is."
"Commander Wilcke had orders to bring Miss Izetta to our base in Dover," Gertrud addressed their orders. "She will examine her and confirm she's a Witch of Weisse Hexe. She will settle everything else."
"What is Weisse Hexe?"
Alice answered bluntly to Mio's question.
"She's supposed to be the Queen of Witches. Isn't that enough…Ow!"
Alice's rant got her karate chopped in the arm by Gertrud. Mio turned to the young girl again, who shrank upon hearing such a name. She reminded the Major of someone else on the ship.
"I see," Mio went back to Gertrud. "Well then, welcome aboard, Miss Izetta. You are honored to stay with us on our way to the base."
"I am unworthy of your gratitude!"
Mio chuckled at the bowing White Witch. She definitely reminded her of a few girls aboard the 501st, including the newly recruited Yoshika. The redhead shivered as Mio faced the others.
"Now then, you three are dismissed."
Fine bowed again as she and Izetta walked past Gertrud. Alice did the same but merely turned away without giving any respectful gesture. She only dashed out to meet with the other soldiers on the boat. It was now just the Lieutenant and Major on the ship, the latter of whom remained gazed on the White Witch.
"She's just like Miyafuji," Mio remarked. "She is not a real Witch yet."
"Major Sakamoto, we both saw her capabilities. Miss Izetta is not like any other Witches found in the world. Commander Wilcke and I know well that those of Weisse Hexe can surpass all of us."
"I am not contesting that, Lieutenant. She and the other girl suffered hard experiences, including fighting on a battlefield. They have incredible power, perhaps on the level as Miyafuji. But do they have the mindset, to do what must be done? That is my concern."
As Izetta disappeared from her view, Mio gave the Lieutenant her orders.
"We'll bring them to base as Commander Wilcke ordered. Continue with rescue operations as we bring Akagi to port. We'll discuss everything to the Commander from there."
"Understood, Major."
From there, Lieutenant Barkhorn left the Major alone. Mio remained busy in her office as she continued with her office work. However, she could not help but look outside the window.
"Many great surprises came in today, huh?" Mio said as if she talked to someone in the heavens. "I bet even you be very proud of what occurred today, Dr. Miyafuji."
And that's the end of Episode 4. The next few Episodes will mostly focus on battles with the Neuroi, so expect more battles against the black and red aliens soon enough.
Unfortunately, that will not happen until after a long time. I'll be doing another internship soon and want to focus my time on something else, especially a few other fanfics that require my attention.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
The interior of the aircraft carrier did not burn, but it sent shockwaves and smoke throughout the decks. Alarms went off as the ship took in water. The officers did their best to keep the ship afloat amid the damage from the Neuroi attacks.
In the aircraft hanger below the main deck laid a knocked-out Yoshika. A few seconds ago, she left her room despite Mio's orders to reach her new superior. She ran through the docks as she searched the decks for anything she could do onboard. When a Neuroi beam struck the ship, the shock threw her into the air, and she hit hard face first onto the metal floor.
The young girl was now barely conscious as she reminisced why she came here. Her mother and grandmother protested as did she, but Major Sakamoto wanted her to join the 501st anyway. It wasn't that she wanted to fight, but because Major Sakamoto knew her father, who left her a long time ago for reasons unknown. Not even she knew until recently that his main research was designing Striker Units, with Major Sakamoto as a test pilot.
Her father was a great man as if he could do anything. But she was not her father. She remained behind all this time, and even with her special power of healing hands, she found herself too clumsy to act useful. Now she was just lying here, watching life dwindle as the light shone on her face.
I'm sorry, Father, the little girl apologized. I can't do anything…
"Yoshika…"
A voice came out before the girl. Her eyes were blurry, but she saw a shadow blocking the light as she entered a dream-like state.
F-Father?
"Yoshika, you have a great power just like your mother and grandmother before you. With that power, you must become a great person and protect everyone."
Father…
The image of her father turned away and disappeared. From there, she recalled the photo that Mio had with her. It was a photo of the Major and Dr. Miyafuji along with a handful of other scientists. In the center was their main project, the Striker Unit, the mainstream weapon of Witches.
She remembered that photo, which prompted Yoshika to snap out of her semi-conscious state. She picked herself up from the ground and viewed her surroundings. She was in the carrier's central elevator, where flames and smoke brewed everywhere. But in the center was a weapon that remained fully intact.
"A Striker Unit?"
The unit was another AGM3a model of the Zero. It remained in perfect condition, more than lucky for a something caught in the blast of a Neuroi beam. She did not understand how it was possible, but there were only two Witches including herself and no seemed to claim ownership. It was like the unit was there just for her. Clenching her fists, Yoshika knew what to do.
The situation did not turn out better in the skies. Although it was fortunate that reinforcements arrived for Mio, but even that was not enough if the Akagi was sunk.
The Major continued to make a run on the larger Neuroi, which was repeatedly hindered by the smaller ships that got in the way. Izetta appeared the last time and guarded her against another volley of beams, which nearly tore apart the swords. Gertrud's squad then arrived to shoot down the enemy ship. The large Neuroi craft returned fire by attacking all of the Witches, forcing them to project their barriers. Alice was too busy avoiding two more Neuroi craft that kept pursuing her.
Mio struggled over projecting the latest attack. Besides getting tired, she observed the crew on the Akagi preparing lifeboats. Her gun also overheated and ran out of ammunition, so she had to discard it. It won't be long before the carrier sinks under this kind of punishment.
That was until Alice's came on.
"Girls…Witches…there's something happening on the Akagi!"
The girl turned to the carrier to see smoke clearing from the carrier. It was the central elevator where a Neuroi struck not long ago.
"The elevator is in use," Mio noticed. "Could it be…!"
Emerging from the smoke was Yoshika, who already equipped her Striker Unit. She carried a Type 99 Model 2 Kai cannon on her back, the same firearm as Mio wielded. The young girl strengthened her resolve as she spun her Striker's propellers.
I have to do whatever I can, she thought to herself. To keep my promise…to protect everyone!
The young girl sprouted ears and a tail from a Mameshiba dog. She then emitted a large magic circle, far bigger than a normal Witch. Francesca was the most bewildered of the group.
"Who the heck is that? And why does she have a Striker Unit?"
"Miyafuji…"
Alice was the first to her Mio's words.
"Miyafuji?"
"The daughter of Dr. Miyafuji, the inventor of the Striker Unit."
"Wait, you're saying her father made those things!?"
Yoshika spun her Striker Unit's propellers. When she thought she had enough speed, she released the restraints on her unit.
"Here I go!"
The young Witch accelerated across the deck. She had decent speed, but when she left the Akagi, she now faced a control problem. She found herself spinning as descended closer to the water. The officers and even Mio called from afar.
"Pick yourself up already! You want to die or not!?"
"Fly, Miyafuji!"
Yoshika used all of her might to pull herself up, giving her Striker Unit far more power in return. She closed her eyes on the entire ordeal and soared into the air. Her eyes remained closed as she expected herself to crash into the ocean. But when she did feel anything hard hit her, she noticed herself.
"I-I'm flying?"
Upon opening her eyes, she found herself high in the sky. She continued gaining altitude as her legs stood still in awe of what just happened.
"I'M FLYING!"
"No way," an astounded Mio gazed at the flying daughter of Miyafuji. "It's her first time wearing a Striker, and she managed to fly in one go…"
The said daughter then soared past Miyafuji, started losing control again.
"Sakamoto-san!"
"Hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm here to help Sakamoto-san!"
Yoshika called out she begun spinning in the loops. Izetta was under of what happened, but her body shook over what might happen with the poor girl. Erica and Francesca had to chuckle over the clumsy girl spinning in circles, knowing they were witnessing a rookie in action.
"Major Sakamoto sure brought an interesting Witch along."
"Amateur…"
Mio thought nothing of it as the large Neuroi distracted her. The craft responded by charging its beams. Mio noticed that it aimed for Yoshika.
"Miyafuji, watch out!"
Numerous beams erupted from the craft, which caught the young Witch's attention. She quickly regained control of her Unit and projected a barrier. What the other Witches did not expect was that immense size of the shield, which was at least three times the size any of the girls could project. Even as the Neuroi ship shot and converged its beams in an attempt to overpower her, the young girl did not budge one bit.
"EEEHH!?" Francesca's eyes widened over her sudden display of power. "How can she project a shield that big!?"
Erica merely gave a smug grin while Gertrud remained silent. But both Karsland Witches were speechless over the Witch's power. They even wondered where the Major got such a powerful Witch.
"Is this Yoshika latent potential?" Even Sakamoto was amazed by the young girl's power. She knew the Miyafuji clan had talented Witches, especially in the arts of healing, but did not expect them to wield such immense power. It turned out to be far more hopeful than she expected.
"How interesting."
Mio flew over to Miyafuji, who gained full control over her Striker Unit.
"Good of you to come, Miyafuji."
"Sakamoto-san," Yoshika approached the Major, taking the cannon out from her back. "I brought you an extra gun!"
"You should use it."
"Major Sakamoto…"
"You said you wanted to protect people, right? That weapon is yours."
Yoshika paused for the moment before nodding in compliance. The Major then drew closer and wrapped her arm around Yoshika, causing her to blush. Erica and Francesca both gave some smirks, wondering what this implied. Only Gertrud's stern face shut them up.
Mio spoke in Yoshika's ear as she aimed sword at the large Neuroi.
"Listen. The core is at the very center of that Neuroi. You help take it out while I draw its fire."
When Yoshika nodded, Mio flew ahead as the ship fired more beams. Gertrud's group went on ahead to assist the Major. Alice, who smirked and blush over her meeting with the Major, came over to the young Witch, startling her with her flame ability.
"Don't worry about us. We'll protect you while you attack the core. Right, Izetta?"
They turned to the White Witch on her rifle, who also blushed over the experience. They nodded together as they dispersed, heading for the last two smaller Neuroi.
Yoshika flew over the large Neuroi, which fired on the Witches circling it. She got a clear shot of the Neuroi, but hesitated for a few seconds, as if she wanted to make sure the shot would hit.
The large craft noticed and fired several more shots at her. Yoshika put up a barrier to deflect the beams. She had no physical injuries, but the attack still left her taking in deep breaths. Mio and the other Witches flew over to the young Witch and checked on her.
"Are you okay?"
Yoshika nodded to the Major.
"I'm fine. I can still fight."
Mio thought otherwise as she observed. She can still fight, but it would not for very long.
It's her first flight and battle. No wonder she's tired too quickly.
"You should be up in the sky in that condition," Gertrud bluntly pointed out. "Let us expose the core and-"
"No, let me try again!"
Yoshika shouted as she demanded it from her superior. The Major nodded in defeat.
"Very well, this is our last chance. We're counting on you!"
Francesca trailed behind the other Witches as they descended again.
"Alright, let's do it!"
While the Witches continued to avoid fire from the Neuroi, Yoshika aimed her cannon again. This time, she thought about the last time she did it.
If I do it the same way, I'll get hit again…what should I do?
She got a glimpse of Mio, who flew dangerously close to the Neuroi. The beams were unable to attack her or could not angle sharp enough to hit her.
That's it!
Yoshika descended towards the Neuroi. If she can get close, she'll have a safer and more confident shot at the enemy craft. She found a few more beams from the side, which came from the last two smaller Neuroi.
"Miyafuji!"
Alice flew over to Yoshika while Izetta blocked the craft with her broken swords. The Psionic girl responded by throwing another spark at one of the Neuroi. Izetta used her cannon to finish off another.
"Go get them, Miyafuji!"
Yoshika nodded to Alice as she continued. She approached the surface of the Neuroi craft, past all the enemy beams.
Just get up close to it and fire. Don't hesitate a bit, Yoshika Miyafuji!
The last Neuroi attempted to target Yoshika, but Gertrud's group intervened. Erica put up a barrier before Francesca and Gertrud destroyed it. Only the large Neuroi was left, and Yoshika aimed at the center.
I'm going to do this! I'm going to protect everyone!
She pulled the trigger as she was meters away from the center. After several shots, she could see the glowing red spot emitting from her hole. However, she already flew past it, and could no longer take the shot.
Even so, Mio noticed the exposed core and called out to everyone on the intercom.
"There's the core! Everyone, take it out!"
Except for Mio, who left to attend Yoshika, the others concentrated their fire on the red hexahedron that was the Neuroi's core. Gertrud fired both her MG42 and cannon, followed by Erica and Francesca's machinegun fire. Alice threw two more sparks of flame. Izetta ended the attack with a magically charged shot from her rifle. The bombardment obliterated the core, and the large Neuroi disintegrated into harmless white shards.
Mio did not have to look at the know the threat was over. She was too focused on Yoshika, who fainted in her arms after the attack.
Unbelievable. She did all of this, even without any training.
Francesca cheered on as they watched the remained of the defeated Neuroi disappear.
"Alright, that's one big Neuroi down for the count!"
Gertrud lowered her guns.
"Confirmed here as well."
The Lieutenant noticed something else that required Mio's attention. Although they defeated the Neuroi, the Witches from their base continued moving on. She flew over to Yoshika and Mio's side while Erica and Francesca trailed behind her.
"Major Sakamoto, the rest of the 501st is inbound. Please give us orders."
"Our mission is complete here. Have them return to base while we handle everything here. You escort us to back to the Akagi for landing and refueling."
"U-Understood."
Alice arrived near Mio's side as well, calling out to the Witches while Izetta trailed behind.
"What about us?"
Gertrud was the first to respond.
"You and the Weisse Hexe return to the Archduchess. Tell them the area is secure, but we require their boat to take in survivors."
"R-Roger!"
"R-Right!"
Alice and Izetta confirmed as they flew back to their boat. Erica and Francesca still hand in mind how close the Major was to the new girl. The Karlsand girl maintained a smug grin while Lucchini chuckled over the implications.
"They're too close."
"Perrine won't be happy when she sees this. I can tease all about it later…Tehehehe..."
"Hartmann, Lucchini, fall in line!"
"R-Right!"
As the other Witches flew away, the two from Fuso were alone. Yoshika opened her eyes and found Mio's smiling face.
"Nice work, Miyafuji."
Yoshika did not think she deserved such praise as she clung onto the Major.
"Sorry, Sakamoto-san. I couldn't do better."
"What are you talking about? You did incredible for your first time. Take a look."
Yoshika faced the soldiers as they waved over to their saviors. Many turned to the other girls from the 501st, including Alice and Izetta as they flew over. But most of them took their hats off for Yoshika, especially those on the lifeboats and the Akagi itself, including the officers from the damaged bridge. Yoshika's eyes nearly teared as the men praised her.
Father…I…I…
"Sakamoto-san!"
Yoshika jumped over the sudden shouting. She and Mio turned over to the Witches who came from Britannia. Mio facepalmed herself as she recognized the woman's voice.
"There she goes again. Wanting to this opportunity?"
A long-haired girl with glasses came over to the pair. She was a more endowed Witch with a purple uniform and long black leggings. She had the ears and tail from a Chartreux cat, and her Striker Unit resembled Galia's late VG 39 aircraft. She stored her Bern machinegun on her back as she raised her arm out to the Major.
"There you are, Sakamoto-san! I've been-"
The Galian Witch stopped halfway upon finding another Witch with the Major. The young girl was utterly oblivious to she was, which made the situation more awkward. Perrine's Striker Unit coughed up exhaust as she exclaimed angrily.
"W-What is going on here!? Who the hell are you!?"
"Eh!?"
Yoshika uttered out. Mio only responded with a laugh, right in front of the angry Witch's face.
Mio remained in her quarters within the damaged Akagi as it returned to port. The 501st who came from their base returned, shortly after driving the clingy Perrine away from the field. Mio assigned the other girls to keep themselves busy by retrieving lifeboats and rescuing any survivors. The passenger boat from Eylstadt docked next to the carrier as more soldiers climbed onboard the vessels still afloat.
The Major turned to the door after hearing it open.
"Major Sakamoto."
Gertrud entered the room with Alice, Fine, and Izetta following behind her.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn," Mio responded. "I thought I sent your team over for retrieval."
"Forgive us, Major, but we have something to discuss."
Gertrud stepped back as she showed the three guests.
"There are the VIPs from Eylstadt I mentioned earlier. This is Alice Alcubierre, Ortfine Fredricka von Eylstadt, and Izetta of the Weisse Hexe clan. They are the VIPs we escorted over from Europe who will be under our protection at our base."
"So this is the second-in-command of the 501st, huh?" Alice commented.
Mio went up to the three girls. She showed little interest in Alice since she already saw her capabilities. She focused more on the central girl, who looked like a politician or noble.
"Ah, you must be the new Archduchess from Eylstadt."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Major Sakamoto."
As Fine bowed to the Major, Gertrud briefed the situation among the girls.
"Archduchess Fine will attend the Allies' conference with Commander Wilcke next month. She requested us to escort them on her journey."
"I did not hear anything about this. Commander Wilcke?"
"The Commander told us to escort her to our base. More importantly, she has an interest in the Weisse Hexe, who appeared before during the invasion of Eylstadt."
"Weisse Hexe," She turned right to the redhead in the white gown. The White Witch looked away with a blushed face, but Mio had another concern. "I do not understand what you're talking about."
"Huh, you don't know Weisse Hexe?" Alice reacted as she turned to Gertrud. "I thought you said she was a Witch among Witches!"
"Not all of them remember the legend," Fine explained. "Those who know the legend are mainly from mainland Europe. Fuso is on the other side of the world, so it is unlikely Major Sakamoto knows who she is."
"Commander Wilcke had orders to bring Miss Izetta to our base in Dover," Gertrud addressed their orders. "She will examine her and confirm she's a Witch of Weisse Hexe. She will settle everything else."
"What is Weisse Hexe?"
Alice answered bluntly to Mio's question.
"She's supposed to be the Queen of Witches. Isn't that enough…Ow!"
Alice's rant got her karate chopped in the arm by Gertrud. Mio turned to the young girl again, who shrank upon hearing such a name. She reminded the Major of someone else on the ship.
"I see," Mio went back to Gertrud. "Well then, welcome aboard, Miss Izetta. You are honored to stay with us on our way to the base."
"I am unworthy of your gratitude!"
Mio chuckled at the bowing White Witch. She definitely reminded her of a few girls aboard the 501st, including the newly recruited Yoshika. The redhead shivered as Mio faced the others.
"Now then, you three are dismissed."
Fine bowed again as she and Izetta walked past Gertrud. Alice did the same but merely turned away without giving any respectful gesture. She only dashed out to meet with the other soldiers on the boat. It was now just the Lieutenant and Major on the ship, the latter of whom remained gazed on the White Witch.
"She's just like Miyafuji," Mio remarked. "She is not a real Witch yet."
"Major Sakamoto, we both saw her capabilities. Miss Izetta is not like any other Witches found in the world. Commander Wilcke and I know well that those of Weisse Hexe can surpass all of us."
"I am not contesting that, Lieutenant. She and the other girl suffered hard experiences, including fighting on a battlefield. They have incredible power, perhaps on the level as Miyafuji. But do they have the mindset, to do what must be done? That is my concern."
As Izetta disappeared from her view, Mio gave the Lieutenant her orders.
"We'll bring them to base as Commander Wilcke ordered. Continue with rescue operations as we bring Akagi to port. We'll discuss everything to the Commander from there."
"Understood, Major."
From there, Lieutenant Barkhorn left the Major alone. Mio remained busy in her office as she continued with her office work. However, she could not help but look outside the window.
"Many great surprises came in today, huh?" Mio said as if she talked to someone in the heavens. "I bet even you be very proud of what occurred today, Dr. Miyafuji."
And that's the end of Episode 4. The next few Episodes will mostly focus on battles with the Neuroi, so expect more battles against the black and red aliens soon enough.
Unfortunately, that will not happen until after a long time. I'll be doing another internship soon and want to focus my time on something else, especially a few other fanfics that require my attention.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Episode 5-1
I think I'll get a few more chapters in since I feel motivated into doing so.
There will be three or four chapters with this one being a prelude to the battle.
The night before, in the islands of Britannia, Fine and Izetta left their companions to attend a meeting with Britannian officials. In a conference center shaped like a courthouse, Archduchess Fine stood by another female Air Force officer. She was a redhead with long hair, the rank emblem of a Wing Commander, and symbol that would easily designate her as a Witch. She stood firm while facing her superiors who stood on the bench.
"It seems our reinforcements and supplies from Fuso have somehow arrived safely, Commander Wilcke."
Air Chief Marshal Dowding addressed the Wing Commander of the 501st from the center seat. On his right was Air Chief Marshal Trevor Maloney. She would never say it out loud, but his blue air force cap and mustache gave Fine an uneasy reminiscence of Germanian officers. On his left was Lord Redford, who had to attend due to his relationship with the Archduchess.
"Major Sakamoto has arrived with the recruit," Commander Wilcke reported. "Ms. Yoshika Miyafuji has been given the rank of Sergeant while undergoing training as per regulations."
"It is fortunate for us to have the increase in manpower. But I believe the next issue the recent activity from your Lieutenant."
The Wing Commander turned to the Archduchess, who nodded before she continued.
"Archduchess Fine here can confirm their testimony if you wish."
"There is no need," Dowding waved her down. "Depending on the performance of the White Witch, we may look over this incident as an act of following traditions among your clans in Karsland. But do remember that this caused quite the controversy within world politics and the military."
"I understand. I will ensure this does not happen again."
"In any case, we shall turn to the Archduchess for the next task," Dowding went to Fine. "It is a surprise to see you arrive safely from your homeland, Archduchess."
"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Fine bowed to the officers. "I appreciate the company of Lord Redford as the representative from Parliament as well."
"Your words flatter me, Archduchess," Lord Redford complemented. "When I learned that you not only took up father's role and introduced the legendary White Witch, I was about as shocked as everyone else in the government. As close acquaintances, I am honored that we meet like this once again."
"I guess I should be honored as well."
"Ahem," Maloney coughed, a pretty rude one in Fine's opinion to gather their attention. "We must now discuss your admission into the upcoming conference. I understand you brought the girl named Izetta, the proclaimed Witch of the so-called legendary Weisse Hexe clan."
As a politician, Fine didn't have to think deeply to hear the antagonism in his words. She could see the others having the same opinion as well. Even so, she answered in full.
"As a close friend of Izetta, we wish to have her demonstrate for the people of Britannia and all foreign ambassadors during our stay. Subsequently, I wish to have Commander Wilcke to participate in acknowledging her power."
"That way, you can gain solid support of the other Witches within our ranks," Maloney pressed. "And tell us this, once you obtain their approval, what do you seek to gain? What is your purpose for coming here?"
Fine found him pressing. It wasn't that he was hard to argue against, but the pressure he brought on her was very irritating. She took a deep breath to explain calmly and in detail.
"As you already know, Eylstadt was recently subject to an invasion by the Empire of Germania," the Archduchess turned to the Britannian ambassador. "Before this, we attempted to negotiate with Lord Redford, but the Germanian army's advance was too swift. It was only fortunate that Izetta and the Witches from Karsland were able to drive back the invasion force, but there's no telling when they will try again."
"In other words, you are using this time and the Witches' traditions to gain support from the Allies for the next invasion," Maloney concluded. "How convenient…"
"Ahem," Dowding coughed himself to ease the tension. "We appreciate your commitment in casting your support for the war effort, but do not believe this means we will provide support for your country, even if you manage to obtain support from the other Witch clans and their military units. However, as long as your Witch shows results, you are more than willing to speak on behalf of your country among the Allies."
Trevor twitched over the Dowding's executive order. Redford sighed in relief while Fine bowed in honor to the Air Marshal.
"I appreciate your consideration."
"The same goes for you, Commander Wilke," Dowding turned to the Karsland Witch. "Ensure the recruit is ready for the future battles ahead."
"Understood, sir," Minna responded with confidence. "Britannia's…no, the world's skies shall be protected by us Witches."
Near the southern shores of Britannia was a large castle. The place was refitted into an airbase with a long runway, radar installation, and control tower. The number of rooms made it perfect for a large barracks, with each soldier having more than enough space to customize their rooms. Whenever they were off duty, the soldiers would travel to the nearby port town of Dover. That was how life was in the base of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.
Most of the 501st attended the meeting in a study center made into a makeshift meeting hall. Commander Wilcke would usually be the one to give announcements. But with her away, Major Sakamoto took her place. Most of the Witches were there, with a few of them "absent," including a certain Galian blonde who glared behind the door.
"Everyone, pay attention!" the Major announced to the unit. "Today, we will have some new guests staying at this base. Please introduce yourself."
She turned to the two guests who arrived at the base last night, Yoshika and the tagalong Psionic girl as requested by the Archduchess of Eylstadt.
"My name is Yoshika Miyafuji from Fuso," Yoshika cheerfully bowed before the unit. "It is nice to meet you, everyone!"
"I'm Alice Alcubierre, and I'm from Liberion," the Psionic girl introduced herself with a right hand on her hips. "I'll be staying here with you girls for the time being. Looking forward to working with you all!"
Silence filled the room after Alice made her intro. One orange-haired woman shifted her eyes at the girl, perhaps the most feminine trait of all women. Francesca gave a little giggle. One girl with long white hair remained polite while taking care of a short-haired girl who slept in the room. Perrine kept her gaze upon Yoshika, who was too focused on another girl in the room. The girl had a long ponytail braid, and the two looked away shortly after eying on one another. Sakamoto sighed over Alice's introduction.
"Remember that unlike you, these girls have a military rank," Sakamoto warned the Psionic girl. "That said, Miyafuji-san is our recruit. She will have the same rank as you, Sergeant Bishop, so look after her as well."
"O-Okay…"
The Flight Sergeant stuttered as she blushed. Yoshika could see there was something not too right about the girl, but Mio interrupted her. The Major showed a small wooden box along with a Walther PPK.
"Miyafuji-san, all of your documents and clothing are right here."
"Um," Yoshika slowly walked up to her given possessions, taking the gun first. "I won't need this."
"Regulations require all soldiers to carry one for protection."
"I won't use it."
There was some silence before Mio gave her signature laugh in response.
"Such a peculiar girl…"
The friendly gesture made Perrine's face red. The Major didn't even bother to notice, even when she stomped away from the room and shouted in the hallway.
"Who the hell does that girl think she is!?"
Francesca chuckled again, thinking of ways to torment the Galian girl. Alice walked over the Major.
"Hey, what about me, uh…O-Officer Sakamoto?"
"Your room assignment will have to wait a little longer, but it should be ready by the end of the day. The same goes for Miss Izetta when she returns with Commander Wilcke and the Archduchess."
"E-Excuse me, Major," the young Flight Sergeant called her attention. "B-But could you possibly refer to W-Weisse Hexe?"
"You seem to have full knowledge of the legend yourself, Flight Sergeant."
"Um, I just learned of the legend recently," Lynette responded. "After I read the news about her appearance with Lieutenant Barkhorn, Officer Hartmann, and Officer Lucchini participating in the coronation."
"Eh, what?" the older, large breasted girl beside Francesca remained oblivious.
"This is true," Mio announced. "Miss Izetta and Archduchess Fine will also rest here during their stay in Britannia. For that reason, the Commander and top brass have been quite busy making the arrangements."
"I anticipated something special coming along," the younger officer continued to hold the sleeper as she spoke. "Even with the recruit, I never expected this."
"You must know the legend as well, Officer Juutilainen."
"It's an Orussian folktale," the officer explained. "I just happened to find it when Sanya desired a bedtime story one day. It's similar to the one from Eylstadt, which compares it to a royal bloodline, hence her nickname 'Queen of Witches.' Even for a fortuneteller like myself, it's surprising to believe the legend was right all this time."
"And that explains why the Lieutenant and Officer Hartmann have gone AWOL this session," Francesca stretched back on the channel as she joked.
Alice observed the military unit while smirking over their knowledge of the White Witch.
"Guess the White Witch has far more admirers than I anticipated."
"It can't be helped," Mio sighed before ending the meeting. "In any case, you are all dismissed."
As Mio concluded the meeting, Yoshika remained gawking at the Major as she passed the rows of desks. Yoshika was unable to see a particular Romagna girl ambush her, groping her from behind. Most of the other Witches gave mischievous looks as Francesca prodded her body.
"So, how do you rate them?" the orange-haired girl came from the side to get a closer look.
"Lynn's are much bigger," Francesca giggled at the other Flight Sergeant, who immediately blushed.
"Not as big as mine though," The orange-haired woman played with her breasts before raising her hand. "I'm Charlotte Yeager from Liberion. You can call me Shirley."
Yoshika slowly raised her hand to Shirley. She suddenly felt a tight grip, causing her to shake her hand in pain. The Liberion Witch chuckled as she continued to play with her breasts, much to the younger Witch's chagrin.
"If you don't eat, you'll never grow!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Alice stepped in with her hands on her hips. "You should know many of us are still growing just fine."
"You got a long way to go before you can compare yours to someone else's," Shirley jeered, merely stared at Alice's rack.
"Your breasts, maybe, but how about your brains?"
"You got some nerve talking to an ace like that," Shirley smirked as she edged closer to Alice.
"And you got some nerve looking down on other people's skills just because they're newbies," Alice followed suit.
As the two Liberion girls sparked lightning between their eyes, Yoshika gave a nervous laugh as she patted her head. In the meantime, the two girls in the back stood up. Well, one was still carrying the other on her side.
"I'm Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Flying Officer of the Soumus Air Force," the officer carried the younger girl. "This is Sanya V. Litvyak, Flight Officer of the Orussian Army."
"Francesca Lucchini, Flying Officer of the Romagna Regia Aeronautica," the last of the officers introduced herself while laying on Shirley's back.
"Pleased to meet you," Yoshika bowed to Francesca.
"I believe that's enough for introductions," Mio struck her katana in the center. She called out to the now second newest Witch of the unit. "Lynn-san, you and Miyafuji will have training this afternoon. Why don't you show her around the base?"
"Um…Okay…"
"Miyafuji-san, stay close to Lynn-san as you go around."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yoshika stood up firm and straightforward as if she wanted to impress the young girl.
"That's a good response," she turned to the non-Witch member present in the room. "As for you, Alice, we will prepare for your stay at the base. Follow me, and we will get you started."
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
While Mio was busy with Alice, Yoshika came up to the other young Witch. Among all of the girls in the unit, she was the most curious to the recruit. She greeted while reintroducing herself.
"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji. What is your name?"
"L-Lynette Bishop, Flying Officer…of the Britannian Air Force."
"Would you care to show me around?"
The question continued to make the Flight Sergeant blush. But within the girl, there were mixed feelings of both worry and anguish.
A large crowd of reporters and officers gathered around an ancient site by the cliffs of Dover. Hordes of cameramen took photos in the sky as a large demonstration performed overhead.
Up in the skies, Gertrud and Erica followed Izetta as she flew on her customized rifle. The three followed patterns as Commander Wilcke instructed. Fine stood on the stage with her Eylstadt guests on one side and Britannian military officers on the other. Commander Wilcke stood by the latter as she gave instructions.
"Barkhorn, Hartmann, prepare for the final phase. Once you gain enough speed, ascend and eject your Striker Units at 1500 m."
Minna received affirmative answers as they moved on. Minna gazed upon the White Witch, impressed by her performance so far.
To think when we've been on the verge of losing Europe, the legendary Weisse Hexe would appear to save us, just like in the legend," Minna internally laughed at the thought while seeing some swerving from Izetta. Even if she's so young, perhaps it was fate that brought us here.
As a fan of the legend, like all Karsland Witches including her superior Air Commodore Galland, they all had at least a wish that she would come to save them. It was just not who they intended, believing her to be an older, upstanding woman who came to rally the other clans. At first, she was shown to be a clumsy girl, and she still partly was in the middle of the flight. But when the time came, Izetta proved to take her power seriously. As a world celebrity, in Minna's words, she had to be.
Perhaps that's why, in addition to being her only friend, is why Fine was chosen to promote her power.
"People of Britannia," the Archduchess announced to the crowd. "You now see with your own eyes the powers and capabilities of the White Witch. For those who questioned the abilities and the Witches' allegiance to my dear friend, consider your fears and doubts dispelled."
While the two Karsland Witches flanking Izetta prepared for the last act, Minna took a deep breath, relying on her subordinates and comrades to pull off this last act. She caught a glimpse of two other Witches who entered peeked around the side of an old stone building.
"What's going on here?"
The recruit was easy to pick out. Minna approached the timid girl, who shrugged like she might have disturbed her.
"Ah, have you come here to see the demonstration?" Minna warmly welcomed the brooding girl.
"I, uh…"
"Perhaps you haven't seen me until now," the Karsland officer proceeded to introduce herself. "I am Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. I shall be your top superior for the 501st. You must have gotten lost around here."
"S-Sorry," Lynette apologized. "I was showing Yoshika around the base until we reached the shooting range. We met Perrine conversing with the Major, but she looked angry at us when we got close and chased us away."
"That Officer Clostermann…" Minna was aware of the Galian Witch's obsession with the commander. She only caught a glimpse of her being clingy when the other Witches were involved, but act this violently? Being a Witch from Fuso may have been a factor, but sooner or later, she'll have to learn to share the Major.
"The next moment," Yoshika continued. "We found lots of people gathering here. Lynn-san seemed to know what's going on."
"You must be interested in the Weisse Hexe then."
"W-Weisse Hexe?"
"The original and honorary name of the White Witch and her clan," Lynette explained. "Lieutenant Barkhorn and Officer Hartmann are performing alongside her to demonstrate her capabilities."
The reporters behind Minna started calling out as they started taking more photos. Yoshika and Lynette looked past their commander to find the White Witch, sighting her by the trail of green sparkles in between two Striker Units. The three made a 180 turn back to the audience while flying a very low altitude. Strong winds blew some debris and papers as the three Witches cruised by them. However, Yoshika sighted the girl long enough realize something that surprised her.
"Why is she flying without a Striker Unit!?"
"The Weisse Hexe clan is different from us," Lynette continued. "It is said to be the first in history, and unlike the others that followed them, they obtained their power differently. All the other clans are just derivations, including those who inherited a fraction of their power. Those directly from the Weisse Hexe clan have powers that surpass our own and are capable of doing things we cannot. For that reason, they do not need Striker Units, only a long object like a broom to produce flight."
"Wow, Lynn-san," Yoshika jumped, impressed by her knowledge. "You know a lot about her!"
"Commander Wilcke told me," Lynette answered after shaking her head. "Other than Elystadt where it originates, Karsland Witches are very knowledgeable of the Weisse Hexe legend. That's why she gets along with her far more than any of us."
"Please, Sergeant Bishop," Minna waved her hand. "Do not give your superiors too much credit."
"S-Sorry, ma'am."
As Lynette bowed in apologies, but the commander had her eyes on the time instead. The entire time, she was counting how much time elapsed since she gave the order to Barkhorn and Hartmann to gain speed. By that time, the girls should have obtained enough speed to do the job.
"It's time…"
Minna's words received an "Eh?" from the two Sergeants.
"The final act is about to end. I entrust those two to do it perfectly."
She mentioned the last performance conducted by the two Germanian Witches. They continued to trail behind Izetta as they approached the main stage. Izetta came to a grinding halt, which signaled the other two Witches to pitch straight up into the sky. It was a do-or-die situation for them now.
When they reach around 1500 meters, the two disengaged their Striker Units as instructed. For a while, the two Sergeants below gasped along with the audience. The Witches liberally letting their flying units loose was a shocking thing to see, as they now let gravity and the wind take over.
Of course, they weren't going to let themselves fall to their deaths; they had the Witch of Weisse Hexe to back them up. Just when Izetta caught the sight of the falling Striker Units, she launched into the sky reaching out to the falling units on both sides.
"Now!"
Izetta caught Lieutenant Barkhorn's pair first. Even though they were small, she needed to slow down to catch the Striker Units and levitate them in mid-air. She nearly missed Hartmann's falling pair but managed to pull through. By the time she caught both, Barkhorn and Hartmann dived past her, prompting Izetta to descend at twice the speed.
"Here!"
Barkhorn had to time it right, even if her eyes were closed, to re-equip the Striker Unit she disengaged. She could feel it coming back to her as Izetta guided them. She spread her legs out to equip both leg units, and then immediately restarted them. The more free-minded Erica had more ease with the re-equipping process as she reattached both leg units. She did not have much problem resetting compared to her Lieutenant.
As both Karsland Witches restarted their Striker Units, they immediately flipped themselves upright to counter the acceleration of gravity. They did not want to show it, but it was a hard landing, and the reporters could feel the strong winds blowing down on them. But both cut it close as they made a spiral together and regained control of their units before they crashed. The shock within the audience turned into amazement, and the cameramen continued to take pictures.
"Witness here that the White Witch is more than a mere weapon of destruction," the Archduchess continued her speech. "No longer will the Allies have to suffer the loss of fellow Witches, or fellow pilots being shot down by the enemy. As someone with the power to save and destroy, she is the ultimate weapon to take the fight against humanity's enemies, whether it be the Empire of Germania or the Neuroi."
The White Witch descended with the other Witches to mark the end of the flight performance. She hovered near Fine while Gertrud and Erica landed beside her.
"Amazing…" Yoshika gazed in awe at the gorgeous Witch in the white dress as she laid her feet on the ground. Lynette's face blushed over the performance. Minna couldn't help but laugh at their reaction; even she found the girl's power to be impressive.
"After this demonstration, there will be award ceremonies," Minna added. "The girl to the right, Officer Hartmann will obtain her medal for her confirmed 100th shot-down count."
"100!?"
Yoshika jumped over the statement. Lynette, however, was not as surprised.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn already surpassed 150, and Commander Wilcke's is around 160."
"So you've been fighting the Neuroi for that long?"
Lynette shook her head.
"Until recently, it was just the Neuroi. But then the Empire of Germania started attacking its neighbors. Now, they're trying to cross the channel, hoping to invade here as well."
"The 501st Joint Fighter Wing was made a few months ago to prepare for the impending invasion," Minna confirmed Lynette's story. "So far, the attacks have occurred in a once-a-week pattern, but the Germanians never made a move until recently. Since then, the Neuroi switched to something irregular, as if it were a response to these actions. Some even fear the Empire is working the Neuroi, using them to conquer the world just like they did since the start of the war."
"They're using the Neuroi to attack other people? Horrible," Yoshika noticed the nervous Lynette. "S-Sorry, Lynn-san."
The Britannian Witch shook her head.
"It's not an easy thing to discuss, now that nearly all of Europe has come under their control."
"Agreed," Minna joined in. "We need all the support we can get to repel this invasion. Having the legendary White Witch at the base will be beneficial for us."
Yoshika jumped before repeatedly switching between Minna and Izetta. The commander found it amusing to startled by such development.
"S-She is going to join us!?"
"Not as a member of the 501st, but she will be under our protection, and we shall support her and the Archduchess as the traditions states. A few other guests accompanied them and will be staying at the base as well."
"You're talking about Alice-san."
"I see you already met her. Mio is testing on her performance while she undergoes the paperwork. This demonstration is a test for Miss Izetta, as well as confirmation that she is a real Witch of Weisse Hexe."
They all turned their attention to the White Witch. This time, she was on the ground and near the cliff edge. She carried her immense anti-tank rifle into the distant ocean. A plane flew out in the distance, but the Witch wasn't aiming at it. Instead, she pointed at something else within the horizon. Yoshika could not see what it was, but Minna and Lynette were familiar with this kind of test.
Izetta's rifle glowed a green aura as she channeled her magic. The barrel shone so brightly that its light would blind anyone. Izetta pulled the trigger, and although she barely held onto the rifle, the recoil created a strong wind behind her that blew some papers and debris away. Yoshika covered her eyes, but the round left a streak of green light as it faded away into the distance.
After a few seconds, a small explosion erupted in the distance. A plane then shot a flare, marking a successful hit. The officers and reporters muttered to each other, amazed by Izetta's shot.
"And that nearly marks the end of the tests," Minna declared, also impressed by the results. "On the first try, too. I had my doubts, but she has a lot more power than we anticipated."
"What happened?"
"Izetta just used her magic to hit a target over a kilometer away," Lynette answered. "That's the signal showing a confirmed hit."
"Incredible," the stunned Yoshika shielded her eyes from the sun. "Even I cannot see that far away!"
"She's not the only one who fires a gun at such a long range," Minna interjected as she turned to the blushing Britannian Witch. "Sergeant Bishop is our sharpshooter within our unit."
"You can shoot as far as her?"
"It is not as powerful," the bashful Lynette answered. "But I can shoot further than the others."
"That's amazing, Lynn-san!" Yoshika clasped the girl's together with hers and shook them. "You should have proud to be power as great as hers!"
"Y-Yes, I guess so…"
"I believe that's enough chat," Minna stood between them. "The demonstration will be over soon, and I'll have to close this conference before reporting back to base. You better make it back safely before then."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yoshika and Lynette affirmed to their commander. Minna then left the two sergeants to the next task on her schedule. But while they returned to the base, the more experienced sergeant had an uneasy feeling. After witnessing today's test, she became far more concerned about her standing.
Everyone's so talented and powerful, and even Miyafuji-san shows incredible potential, But now, there's this White Witch. If someone is here with that kind of power and so much more, then…what, does that mean for me? Does this mean…I don't have a place here anymore?
The sunset dipped into the horizon over the sea. The majority of the Witches were already calling a day. Only those who were still undergoing training, on patrol duty were outside, or the recent visitors' case, returning from their duties.
"And as you can see, you will stay at our main base for the time being. Please make yourself at home."
"I understand," Fine thanked Minna. "I appreciate the hospitality you have shown us."
"It is no big deal," Minna returned. "You should be thanking your Witch for having the opportunity."
"I am unworthy of your gratitude!" Izetta shook her head with a blush, prompting the commander to giggle.
"You are quite the interesting girl for the Witch of Weisse Hexe. It's interesting how Lieutenant Barkhorn fell for you."
"You do not seem surprised over the development," Fine noticed her informal mannerisms.
"Believe me, many within mainland Europe were taken by surprise that the lost-long legendary clan has re-emerged after all this time. It's no doubt that we Karsland Witches are second only to your country know who know and honor her power. Well…almost everyone," Minna hinted at Erica Hartmann, the lazier of the Karsland Witches who didn't pay attention to history. "Lieutenant Barkhorn just has an exceptional connection to the legend, just as she does with the traditions of Karsland itself."
Fine nodded in agreement.
"From what I understand, before it transformed into Germania, Karsland had a long history with pagan beliefs since ancient times. I don't find it surprising that even as soldiers, you and the others would hold Izetta in very high regard."
The statement made Izetta blush, especially when those words came from the Archduchess herself.
"There is no need for such formality," Minna patted the Izetta's head, making her face even redder. She took her hand away as the White Witch shook her head in embarrassment. "As much as her inherent power and reputation help, what matters is the results."
"Mm," Fine agreed. "Will the performance be enough to earn support from the Allies?"
"It's too early to tell," Minna stated the inevitable. "But the Britannian officers were deeply impressed by her performance, as did Commodore Gallant. It will take time, but support for Eylstadt should now be within the distance, if not already a probability."
"I'm glad to hear that."
As they crossed the runway, they got a glimpse of a few characters they recognized. Yoshika and Lynette laid on the ground, wholly exhausted within their Striker Units. It is evident that they were doing training in the afternoon.
"It hurts…"
"So tired…"
"Oh, my," Fine noticed the two first. "It looks like your recruits have been working hard."
"That's Mio's training for you," Minna commented.
Izetta herself shivered, wondering if she'll undergo the same training, especially with Alice beside them.
"To think that Major girl would scold me for having poor stamina," Alice grasped her legs in anguish. "I've been running for all my life. How could I be so tired?"
"Perhaps you've been using your psionic abilities for a little too long," Mio joked as she and Perrine landed with their Striker Units.
"I wanted some exercise, but never thought I'd go through some boot camp like everyone else."
"As a soldier on our grounds, you are to follow the same routines as everyone else."
"Newbies like you will only be a nuisance for the rest of us," Perrine taunted.
"That's harsh for you to treat our guests," Minna politely spoke against her.
"It's their first day of training; it can't be helped," Mio laughed. "Miyafuji-san has amazing power but little control over it. Even Alice's stamina is poor compared to her and Lynn-san."
"More importantly," Perrine ignored Alice's pains, obstructing her view. "There's an aerial combat technique I want to try. Let's go at it one more time."
"Very well," Sakamoto turned to the sergeants. "Lynne-san, Miyafuji-san, that's enough for today. Return your Striker Units and get ready to call it a night."
The girls were too weak to say anything as they flew off. Perrine stuck her tongue out at Yoshika as she flew away. Only Alice managed to notice what that meant.
"Looks you made someone jealous, taking her time away from your superior officer," Alice still had enough strength speak, but Yoshika only let out an "Eh?" The Psionic merely shook her head. "I swear, you never read what others are thinking, can you?"
"S-Sorry…"
When two girls regained enough energy, they disengaged their Striker Units and shook their legs. Of the other girls, Izetta noticed how Yoshika's bruises and scrapes started disappearing. She gazed on the Fuso Witch as she easily guessed her power.
"Tell me," she spoke to the recruit. "Is your clan specialized in healing?"
"H-How did you?" Yoshika raised her eyes over the statement.
"I could see your wounds healing quickly," the White Witch then turned to Minna, and then to Lynette. "Minna-sama is about senses, and yours is close to my power."
Yoshika and Lynette gazed in awe as they laid on the ground. Minna was also impressed by this particular feat, especially her accuracy.
"You're pretty ingenious in identifying a Witch's abilities."
Izetta shook her head.
"It's just part of our power," Izetta explained. "Unlike my clan, the others unconsciously give off auras that we can sense. By feeling the patterns, we can guess what kind of abilities they have with accuracy. Even the deviants who share our clan's blood are vulnerable to this power."
"Deviants?" Fine turned to Izetta.
Minna and Yoshika were also curious. They turned to Lynette, who had an uneasy look on her face.
"Many of the Witch clans are those who wanted to obtain our power, but we have to find men who can pass down our bloodline. We use our power to sense them so we could carry our clan's bloodline, but that is scarce, and our numbers dwindled to only a few of us."
"So you can only bear children with certain men, or have no children at all?"
Izetta shook her head at Alice's question.
"There are those who can bear children, even if they can't pass down the full bloodline. Those with ancestry from other Witch clans can, but only inherit a fraction of their power. Grandma kept calling them illegitimate members because they do not possess our full blood, even if they have the same powers to a degree."
"Amazing, so you two are distant relatives of one another! You should be proud of abilities, Lynn-san!" However, Yoshika could sense bitterness coming from the Britannian Witch. Izetta could see deeper as a sense of hate and self-depreciation. "Lynn-san?"
"I'm envious of you all…"
"Huh, why?"
"It's like what Izetta said. Even though our powers are similar, I'm a fake, an illegitimate relative who only has a part of the White Witch's power. Even you and Alice are much better than me." Lynnette turned to the base. "I have no redeeming qualities at all. I don't know if I even belong here, no," she turned to Izetta. "The moment you came here, I knew I had no right to be here anymore."
"Eh?" Yoshika jumped. "But Lynn-san, all I can do is heal! If your powers are like Izetta-san's, then I know that you are good!"
"Only during training. In actual warfare, I can't even fly."
"But if you can do it during training…"
"Says the one who can pilot a Striker Unit without any!" Lynette snapped at Yoshika, intimidating the young girl. Without bearing to look at the other girls, she turned away. "Excuse me…"
The young officer then ran off from the group. Yoshika sensed hurt feelings coming from Lynette's mouth. Alice merely stood there, unsure of what to say. But Izetta had guilt that went far deeper than Yoshika. Like young Sergeant, she sensed self-disgust more than anything, someone the White Witch was more than familiar with in her lifetime.
"What's her problem?" Alice said, annoyed by her depreciation.
"Lynn-san…" Yoshika muttered, wanting to chase after her.
"Don't Miyafuji," Minna called on her to stand down. "This isn't the first she's been like this, even before her arrival on this base."
"I…I…"
"Izetta-san," Fine noticed Izetta stuttering. She sighed, knowing that her close friend wanted to say something. "It's not your fault. You didn't mean to offend someone like that."
"No, it is my fault," Izetta cried. "Because I hurt her...I hurt myself…"
Alice remained annoyedly speechless. Minna sighed once more, knowing things will not be easy in the short run.
Perhaps this is why the Weisse Hexe clan is so small and rare. Illegitimate or not, those born with their power carry the curse of loneliness and self-hate that breeds within. One they cannot run away from, however…
Minna faced the recruit, who stared in the distance where Officer Bishop went. She did not have to look at the White Witch to know she thought the same thing.
Even in a war, there's always someone who cares about people, someone who can break that curse even in the Weisse Hexe clan. Those who know that in our unit can genuinely have the right to be called a Witch.
And that's the prelude. I'm likely to break the battle into two or three chapters that'll cover the rest of the episode.
As a note, the actual shot-down count for Hartmann and Barkhorn were 200 and 250 respectively. I shortened the count not only because the story happens earlier in the fic but also make reasonable numbers regarding their rank.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
There will be three or four chapters with this one being a prelude to the battle.
The night before, in the islands of Britannia, Fine and Izetta left their companions to attend a meeting with Britannian officials. In a conference center shaped like a courthouse, Archduchess Fine stood by another female Air Force officer. She was a redhead with long hair, the rank emblem of a Wing Commander, and symbol that would easily designate her as a Witch. She stood firm while facing her superiors who stood on the bench.
"It seems our reinforcements and supplies from Fuso have somehow arrived safely, Commander Wilcke."
Air Chief Marshal Dowding addressed the Wing Commander of the 501st from the center seat. On his right was Air Chief Marshal Trevor Maloney. She would never say it out loud, but his blue air force cap and mustache gave Fine an uneasy reminiscence of Germanian officers. On his left was Lord Redford, who had to attend due to his relationship with the Archduchess.
"Major Sakamoto has arrived with the recruit," Commander Wilcke reported. "Ms. Yoshika Miyafuji has been given the rank of Sergeant while undergoing training as per regulations."
"It is fortunate for us to have the increase in manpower. But I believe the next issue the recent activity from your Lieutenant."
The Wing Commander turned to the Archduchess, who nodded before she continued.
"Archduchess Fine here can confirm their testimony if you wish."
"There is no need," Dowding waved her down. "Depending on the performance of the White Witch, we may look over this incident as an act of following traditions among your clans in Karsland. But do remember that this caused quite the controversy within world politics and the military."
"I understand. I will ensure this does not happen again."
"In any case, we shall turn to the Archduchess for the next task," Dowding went to Fine. "It is a surprise to see you arrive safely from your homeland, Archduchess."
"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Fine bowed to the officers. "I appreciate the company of Lord Redford as the representative from Parliament as well."
"Your words flatter me, Archduchess," Lord Redford complemented. "When I learned that you not only took up father's role and introduced the legendary White Witch, I was about as shocked as everyone else in the government. As close acquaintances, I am honored that we meet like this once again."
"I guess I should be honored as well."
"Ahem," Maloney coughed, a pretty rude one in Fine's opinion to gather their attention. "We must now discuss your admission into the upcoming conference. I understand you brought the girl named Izetta, the proclaimed Witch of the so-called legendary Weisse Hexe clan."
As a politician, Fine didn't have to think deeply to hear the antagonism in his words. She could see the others having the same opinion as well. Even so, she answered in full.
"As a close friend of Izetta, we wish to have her demonstrate for the people of Britannia and all foreign ambassadors during our stay. Subsequently, I wish to have Commander Wilcke to participate in acknowledging her power."
"That way, you can gain solid support of the other Witches within our ranks," Maloney pressed. "And tell us this, once you obtain their approval, what do you seek to gain? What is your purpose for coming here?"
Fine found him pressing. It wasn't that he was hard to argue against, but the pressure he brought on her was very irritating. She took a deep breath to explain calmly and in detail.
"As you already know, Eylstadt was recently subject to an invasion by the Empire of Germania," the Archduchess turned to the Britannian ambassador. "Before this, we attempted to negotiate with Lord Redford, but the Germanian army's advance was too swift. It was only fortunate that Izetta and the Witches from Karsland were able to drive back the invasion force, but there's no telling when they will try again."
"In other words, you are using this time and the Witches' traditions to gain support from the Allies for the next invasion," Maloney concluded. "How convenient…"
"Ahem," Dowding coughed himself to ease the tension. "We appreciate your commitment in casting your support for the war effort, but do not believe this means we will provide support for your country, even if you manage to obtain support from the other Witch clans and their military units. However, as long as your Witch shows results, you are more than willing to speak on behalf of your country among the Allies."
Trevor twitched over the Dowding's executive order. Redford sighed in relief while Fine bowed in honor to the Air Marshal.
"I appreciate your consideration."
"The same goes for you, Commander Wilke," Dowding turned to the Karsland Witch. "Ensure the recruit is ready for the future battles ahead."
"Understood, sir," Minna responded with confidence. "Britannia's…no, the world's skies shall be protected by us Witches."
Near the southern shores of Britannia was a large castle. The place was refitted into an airbase with a long runway, radar installation, and control tower. The number of rooms made it perfect for a large barracks, with each soldier having more than enough space to customize their rooms. Whenever they were off duty, the soldiers would travel to the nearby port town of Dover. That was how life was in the base of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.
Most of the 501st attended the meeting in a study center made into a makeshift meeting hall. Commander Wilcke would usually be the one to give announcements. But with her away, Major Sakamoto took her place. Most of the Witches were there, with a few of them "absent," including a certain Galian blonde who glared behind the door.
"Everyone, pay attention!" the Major announced to the unit. "Today, we will have some new guests staying at this base. Please introduce yourself."
She turned to the two guests who arrived at the base last night, Yoshika and the tagalong Psionic girl as requested by the Archduchess of Eylstadt.
"My name is Yoshika Miyafuji from Fuso," Yoshika cheerfully bowed before the unit. "It is nice to meet you, everyone!"
"I'm Alice Alcubierre, and I'm from Liberion," the Psionic girl introduced herself with a right hand on her hips. "I'll be staying here with you girls for the time being. Looking forward to working with you all!"
Silence filled the room after Alice made her intro. One orange-haired woman shifted her eyes at the girl, perhaps the most feminine trait of all women. Francesca gave a little giggle. One girl with long white hair remained polite while taking care of a short-haired girl who slept in the room. Perrine kept her gaze upon Yoshika, who was too focused on another girl in the room. The girl had a long ponytail braid, and the two looked away shortly after eying on one another. Sakamoto sighed over Alice's introduction.
"Remember that unlike you, these girls have a military rank," Sakamoto warned the Psionic girl. "That said, Miyafuji-san is our recruit. She will have the same rank as you, Sergeant Bishop, so look after her as well."
"O-Okay…"
The Flight Sergeant stuttered as she blushed. Yoshika could see there was something not too right about the girl, but Mio interrupted her. The Major showed a small wooden box along with a Walther PPK.
"Miyafuji-san, all of your documents and clothing are right here."
"Um," Yoshika slowly walked up to her given possessions, taking the gun first. "I won't need this."
"Regulations require all soldiers to carry one for protection."
"I won't use it."
There was some silence before Mio gave her signature laugh in response.
"Such a peculiar girl…"
The friendly gesture made Perrine's face red. The Major didn't even bother to notice, even when she stomped away from the room and shouted in the hallway.
"Who the hell does that girl think she is!?"
Francesca chuckled again, thinking of ways to torment the Galian girl. Alice walked over the Major.
"Hey, what about me, uh…O-Officer Sakamoto?"
"Your room assignment will have to wait a little longer, but it should be ready by the end of the day. The same goes for Miss Izetta when she returns with Commander Wilcke and the Archduchess."
"E-Excuse me, Major," the young Flight Sergeant called her attention. "B-But could you possibly refer to W-Weisse Hexe?"
"You seem to have full knowledge of the legend yourself, Flight Sergeant."
"Um, I just learned of the legend recently," Lynette responded. "After I read the news about her appearance with Lieutenant Barkhorn, Officer Hartmann, and Officer Lucchini participating in the coronation."
"Eh, what?" the older, large breasted girl beside Francesca remained oblivious.
"This is true," Mio announced. "Miss Izetta and Archduchess Fine will also rest here during their stay in Britannia. For that reason, the Commander and top brass have been quite busy making the arrangements."
"I anticipated something special coming along," the younger officer continued to hold the sleeper as she spoke. "Even with the recruit, I never expected this."
"You must know the legend as well, Officer Juutilainen."
"It's an Orussian folktale," the officer explained. "I just happened to find it when Sanya desired a bedtime story one day. It's similar to the one from Eylstadt, which compares it to a royal bloodline, hence her nickname 'Queen of Witches.' Even for a fortuneteller like myself, it's surprising to believe the legend was right all this time."
"And that explains why the Lieutenant and Officer Hartmann have gone AWOL this session," Francesca stretched back on the channel as she joked.
Alice observed the military unit while smirking over their knowledge of the White Witch.
"Guess the White Witch has far more admirers than I anticipated."
"It can't be helped," Mio sighed before ending the meeting. "In any case, you are all dismissed."
As Mio concluded the meeting, Yoshika remained gawking at the Major as she passed the rows of desks. Yoshika was unable to see a particular Romagna girl ambush her, groping her from behind. Most of the other Witches gave mischievous looks as Francesca prodded her body.
"So, how do you rate them?" the orange-haired girl came from the side to get a closer look.
"Lynn's are much bigger," Francesca giggled at the other Flight Sergeant, who immediately blushed.
"Not as big as mine though," The orange-haired woman played with her breasts before raising her hand. "I'm Charlotte Yeager from Liberion. You can call me Shirley."
Yoshika slowly raised her hand to Shirley. She suddenly felt a tight grip, causing her to shake her hand in pain. The Liberion Witch chuckled as she continued to play with her breasts, much to the younger Witch's chagrin.
"If you don't eat, you'll never grow!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Alice stepped in with her hands on her hips. "You should know many of us are still growing just fine."
"You got a long way to go before you can compare yours to someone else's," Shirley jeered, merely stared at Alice's rack.
"Your breasts, maybe, but how about your brains?"
"You got some nerve talking to an ace like that," Shirley smirked as she edged closer to Alice.
"And you got some nerve looking down on other people's skills just because they're newbies," Alice followed suit.
As the two Liberion girls sparked lightning between their eyes, Yoshika gave a nervous laugh as she patted her head. In the meantime, the two girls in the back stood up. Well, one was still carrying the other on her side.
"I'm Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Flying Officer of the Soumus Air Force," the officer carried the younger girl. "This is Sanya V. Litvyak, Flight Officer of the Orussian Army."
"Francesca Lucchini, Flying Officer of the Romagna Regia Aeronautica," the last of the officers introduced herself while laying on Shirley's back.
"Pleased to meet you," Yoshika bowed to Francesca.
"I believe that's enough for introductions," Mio struck her katana in the center. She called out to the now second newest Witch of the unit. "Lynn-san, you and Miyafuji will have training this afternoon. Why don't you show her around the base?"
"Um…Okay…"
"Miyafuji-san, stay close to Lynn-san as you go around."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yoshika stood up firm and straightforward as if she wanted to impress the young girl.
"That's a good response," she turned to the non-Witch member present in the room. "As for you, Alice, we will prepare for your stay at the base. Follow me, and we will get you started."
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
While Mio was busy with Alice, Yoshika came up to the other young Witch. Among all of the girls in the unit, she was the most curious to the recruit. She greeted while reintroducing herself.
"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji. What is your name?"
"L-Lynette Bishop, Flying Officer…of the Britannian Air Force."
"Would you care to show me around?"
The question continued to make the Flight Sergeant blush. But within the girl, there were mixed feelings of both worry and anguish.
A large crowd of reporters and officers gathered around an ancient site by the cliffs of Dover. Hordes of cameramen took photos in the sky as a large demonstration performed overhead.
Up in the skies, Gertrud and Erica followed Izetta as she flew on her customized rifle. The three followed patterns as Commander Wilcke instructed. Fine stood on the stage with her Eylstadt guests on one side and Britannian military officers on the other. Commander Wilcke stood by the latter as she gave instructions.
"Barkhorn, Hartmann, prepare for the final phase. Once you gain enough speed, ascend and eject your Striker Units at 1500 m."
Minna received affirmative answers as they moved on. Minna gazed upon the White Witch, impressed by her performance so far.
To think when we've been on the verge of losing Europe, the legendary Weisse Hexe would appear to save us, just like in the legend," Minna internally laughed at the thought while seeing some swerving from Izetta. Even if she's so young, perhaps it was fate that brought us here.
As a fan of the legend, like all Karsland Witches including her superior Air Commodore Galland, they all had at least a wish that she would come to save them. It was just not who they intended, believing her to be an older, upstanding woman who came to rally the other clans. At first, she was shown to be a clumsy girl, and she still partly was in the middle of the flight. But when the time came, Izetta proved to take her power seriously. As a world celebrity, in Minna's words, she had to be.
Perhaps that's why, in addition to being her only friend, is why Fine was chosen to promote her power.
"People of Britannia," the Archduchess announced to the crowd. "You now see with your own eyes the powers and capabilities of the White Witch. For those who questioned the abilities and the Witches' allegiance to my dear friend, consider your fears and doubts dispelled."
While the two Karsland Witches flanking Izetta prepared for the last act, Minna took a deep breath, relying on her subordinates and comrades to pull off this last act. She caught a glimpse of two other Witches who entered peeked around the side of an old stone building.
"What's going on here?"
The recruit was easy to pick out. Minna approached the timid girl, who shrugged like she might have disturbed her.
"Ah, have you come here to see the demonstration?" Minna warmly welcomed the brooding girl.
"I, uh…"
"Perhaps you haven't seen me until now," the Karsland officer proceeded to introduce herself. "I am Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. I shall be your top superior for the 501st. You must have gotten lost around here."
"S-Sorry," Lynette apologized. "I was showing Yoshika around the base until we reached the shooting range. We met Perrine conversing with the Major, but she looked angry at us when we got close and chased us away."
"That Officer Clostermann…" Minna was aware of the Galian Witch's obsession with the commander. She only caught a glimpse of her being clingy when the other Witches were involved, but act this violently? Being a Witch from Fuso may have been a factor, but sooner or later, she'll have to learn to share the Major.
"The next moment," Yoshika continued. "We found lots of people gathering here. Lynn-san seemed to know what's going on."
"You must be interested in the Weisse Hexe then."
"W-Weisse Hexe?"
"The original and honorary name of the White Witch and her clan," Lynette explained. "Lieutenant Barkhorn and Officer Hartmann are performing alongside her to demonstrate her capabilities."
The reporters behind Minna started calling out as they started taking more photos. Yoshika and Lynette looked past their commander to find the White Witch, sighting her by the trail of green sparkles in between two Striker Units. The three made a 180 turn back to the audience while flying a very low altitude. Strong winds blew some debris and papers as the three Witches cruised by them. However, Yoshika sighted the girl long enough realize something that surprised her.
"Why is she flying without a Striker Unit!?"
"The Weisse Hexe clan is different from us," Lynette continued. "It is said to be the first in history, and unlike the others that followed them, they obtained their power differently. All the other clans are just derivations, including those who inherited a fraction of their power. Those directly from the Weisse Hexe clan have powers that surpass our own and are capable of doing things we cannot. For that reason, they do not need Striker Units, only a long object like a broom to produce flight."
"Wow, Lynn-san," Yoshika jumped, impressed by her knowledge. "You know a lot about her!"
"Commander Wilcke told me," Lynette answered after shaking her head. "Other than Elystadt where it originates, Karsland Witches are very knowledgeable of the Weisse Hexe legend. That's why she gets along with her far more than any of us."
"Please, Sergeant Bishop," Minna waved her hand. "Do not give your superiors too much credit."
"S-Sorry, ma'am."
As Lynette bowed in apologies, but the commander had her eyes on the time instead. The entire time, she was counting how much time elapsed since she gave the order to Barkhorn and Hartmann to gain speed. By that time, the girls should have obtained enough speed to do the job.
"It's time…"
Minna's words received an "Eh?" from the two Sergeants.
"The final act is about to end. I entrust those two to do it perfectly."
She mentioned the last performance conducted by the two Germanian Witches. They continued to trail behind Izetta as they approached the main stage. Izetta came to a grinding halt, which signaled the other two Witches to pitch straight up into the sky. It was a do-or-die situation for them now.
When they reach around 1500 meters, the two disengaged their Striker Units as instructed. For a while, the two Sergeants below gasped along with the audience. The Witches liberally letting their flying units loose was a shocking thing to see, as they now let gravity and the wind take over.
Of course, they weren't going to let themselves fall to their deaths; they had the Witch of Weisse Hexe to back them up. Just when Izetta caught the sight of the falling Striker Units, she launched into the sky reaching out to the falling units on both sides.
"Now!"
Izetta caught Lieutenant Barkhorn's pair first. Even though they were small, she needed to slow down to catch the Striker Units and levitate them in mid-air. She nearly missed Hartmann's falling pair but managed to pull through. By the time she caught both, Barkhorn and Hartmann dived past her, prompting Izetta to descend at twice the speed.
"Here!"
Barkhorn had to time it right, even if her eyes were closed, to re-equip the Striker Unit she disengaged. She could feel it coming back to her as Izetta guided them. She spread her legs out to equip both leg units, and then immediately restarted them. The more free-minded Erica had more ease with the re-equipping process as she reattached both leg units. She did not have much problem resetting compared to her Lieutenant.
As both Karsland Witches restarted their Striker Units, they immediately flipped themselves upright to counter the acceleration of gravity. They did not want to show it, but it was a hard landing, and the reporters could feel the strong winds blowing down on them. But both cut it close as they made a spiral together and regained control of their units before they crashed. The shock within the audience turned into amazement, and the cameramen continued to take pictures.
"Witness here that the White Witch is more than a mere weapon of destruction," the Archduchess continued her speech. "No longer will the Allies have to suffer the loss of fellow Witches, or fellow pilots being shot down by the enemy. As someone with the power to save and destroy, she is the ultimate weapon to take the fight against humanity's enemies, whether it be the Empire of Germania or the Neuroi."
The White Witch descended with the other Witches to mark the end of the flight performance. She hovered near Fine while Gertrud and Erica landed beside her.
"Amazing…" Yoshika gazed in awe at the gorgeous Witch in the white dress as she laid her feet on the ground. Lynette's face blushed over the performance. Minna couldn't help but laugh at their reaction; even she found the girl's power to be impressive.
"After this demonstration, there will be award ceremonies," Minna added. "The girl to the right, Officer Hartmann will obtain her medal for her confirmed 100th shot-down count."
"100!?"
Yoshika jumped over the statement. Lynette, however, was not as surprised.
"Lieutenant Barkhorn already surpassed 150, and Commander Wilcke's is around 160."
"So you've been fighting the Neuroi for that long?"
Lynette shook her head.
"Until recently, it was just the Neuroi. But then the Empire of Germania started attacking its neighbors. Now, they're trying to cross the channel, hoping to invade here as well."
"The 501st Joint Fighter Wing was made a few months ago to prepare for the impending invasion," Minna confirmed Lynette's story. "So far, the attacks have occurred in a once-a-week pattern, but the Germanians never made a move until recently. Since then, the Neuroi switched to something irregular, as if it were a response to these actions. Some even fear the Empire is working the Neuroi, using them to conquer the world just like they did since the start of the war."
"They're using the Neuroi to attack other people? Horrible," Yoshika noticed the nervous Lynette. "S-Sorry, Lynn-san."
The Britannian Witch shook her head.
"It's not an easy thing to discuss, now that nearly all of Europe has come under their control."
"Agreed," Minna joined in. "We need all the support we can get to repel this invasion. Having the legendary White Witch at the base will be beneficial for us."
Yoshika jumped before repeatedly switching between Minna and Izetta. The commander found it amusing to startled by such development.
"S-She is going to join us!?"
"Not as a member of the 501st, but she will be under our protection, and we shall support her and the Archduchess as the traditions states. A few other guests accompanied them and will be staying at the base as well."
"You're talking about Alice-san."
"I see you already met her. Mio is testing on her performance while she undergoes the paperwork. This demonstration is a test for Miss Izetta, as well as confirmation that she is a real Witch of Weisse Hexe."
They all turned their attention to the White Witch. This time, she was on the ground and near the cliff edge. She carried her immense anti-tank rifle into the distant ocean. A plane flew out in the distance, but the Witch wasn't aiming at it. Instead, she pointed at something else within the horizon. Yoshika could not see what it was, but Minna and Lynette were familiar with this kind of test.
Izetta's rifle glowed a green aura as she channeled her magic. The barrel shone so brightly that its light would blind anyone. Izetta pulled the trigger, and although she barely held onto the rifle, the recoil created a strong wind behind her that blew some papers and debris away. Yoshika covered her eyes, but the round left a streak of green light as it faded away into the distance.
After a few seconds, a small explosion erupted in the distance. A plane then shot a flare, marking a successful hit. The officers and reporters muttered to each other, amazed by Izetta's shot.
"And that nearly marks the end of the tests," Minna declared, also impressed by the results. "On the first try, too. I had my doubts, but she has a lot more power than we anticipated."
"What happened?"
"Izetta just used her magic to hit a target over a kilometer away," Lynette answered. "That's the signal showing a confirmed hit."
"Incredible," the stunned Yoshika shielded her eyes from the sun. "Even I cannot see that far away!"
"She's not the only one who fires a gun at such a long range," Minna interjected as she turned to the blushing Britannian Witch. "Sergeant Bishop is our sharpshooter within our unit."
"You can shoot as far as her?"
"It is not as powerful," the bashful Lynette answered. "But I can shoot further than the others."
"That's amazing, Lynn-san!" Yoshika clasped the girl's together with hers and shook them. "You should have proud to be power as great as hers!"
"Y-Yes, I guess so…"
"I believe that's enough chat," Minna stood between them. "The demonstration will be over soon, and I'll have to close this conference before reporting back to base. You better make it back safely before then."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yoshika and Lynette affirmed to their commander. Minna then left the two sergeants to the next task on her schedule. But while they returned to the base, the more experienced sergeant had an uneasy feeling. After witnessing today's test, she became far more concerned about her standing.
Everyone's so talented and powerful, and even Miyafuji-san shows incredible potential, But now, there's this White Witch. If someone is here with that kind of power and so much more, then…what, does that mean for me? Does this mean…I don't have a place here anymore?
The sunset dipped into the horizon over the sea. The majority of the Witches were already calling a day. Only those who were still undergoing training, on patrol duty were outside, or the recent visitors' case, returning from their duties.
"And as you can see, you will stay at our main base for the time being. Please make yourself at home."
"I understand," Fine thanked Minna. "I appreciate the hospitality you have shown us."
"It is no big deal," Minna returned. "You should be thanking your Witch for having the opportunity."
"I am unworthy of your gratitude!" Izetta shook her head with a blush, prompting the commander to giggle.
"You are quite the interesting girl for the Witch of Weisse Hexe. It's interesting how Lieutenant Barkhorn fell for you."
"You do not seem surprised over the development," Fine noticed her informal mannerisms.
"Believe me, many within mainland Europe were taken by surprise that the lost-long legendary clan has re-emerged after all this time. It's no doubt that we Karsland Witches are second only to your country know who know and honor her power. Well…almost everyone," Minna hinted at Erica Hartmann, the lazier of the Karsland Witches who didn't pay attention to history. "Lieutenant Barkhorn just has an exceptional connection to the legend, just as she does with the traditions of Karsland itself."
Fine nodded in agreement.
"From what I understand, before it transformed into Germania, Karsland had a long history with pagan beliefs since ancient times. I don't find it surprising that even as soldiers, you and the others would hold Izetta in very high regard."
The statement made Izetta blush, especially when those words came from the Archduchess herself.
"There is no need for such formality," Minna patted the Izetta's head, making her face even redder. She took her hand away as the White Witch shook her head in embarrassment. "As much as her inherent power and reputation help, what matters is the results."
"Mm," Fine agreed. "Will the performance be enough to earn support from the Allies?"
"It's too early to tell," Minna stated the inevitable. "But the Britannian officers were deeply impressed by her performance, as did Commodore Gallant. It will take time, but support for Eylstadt should now be within the distance, if not already a probability."
"I'm glad to hear that."
As they crossed the runway, they got a glimpse of a few characters they recognized. Yoshika and Lynette laid on the ground, wholly exhausted within their Striker Units. It is evident that they were doing training in the afternoon.
"It hurts…"
"So tired…"
"Oh, my," Fine noticed the two first. "It looks like your recruits have been working hard."
"That's Mio's training for you," Minna commented.
Izetta herself shivered, wondering if she'll undergo the same training, especially with Alice beside them.
"To think that Major girl would scold me for having poor stamina," Alice grasped her legs in anguish. "I've been running for all my life. How could I be so tired?"
"Perhaps you've been using your psionic abilities for a little too long," Mio joked as she and Perrine landed with their Striker Units.
"I wanted some exercise, but never thought I'd go through some boot camp like everyone else."
"As a soldier on our grounds, you are to follow the same routines as everyone else."
"Newbies like you will only be a nuisance for the rest of us," Perrine taunted.
"That's harsh for you to treat our guests," Minna politely spoke against her.
"It's their first day of training; it can't be helped," Mio laughed. "Miyafuji-san has amazing power but little control over it. Even Alice's stamina is poor compared to her and Lynn-san."
"More importantly," Perrine ignored Alice's pains, obstructing her view. "There's an aerial combat technique I want to try. Let's go at it one more time."
"Very well," Sakamoto turned to the sergeants. "Lynne-san, Miyafuji-san, that's enough for today. Return your Striker Units and get ready to call it a night."
The girls were too weak to say anything as they flew off. Perrine stuck her tongue out at Yoshika as she flew away. Only Alice managed to notice what that meant.
"Looks you made someone jealous, taking her time away from your superior officer," Alice still had enough strength speak, but Yoshika only let out an "Eh?" The Psionic merely shook her head. "I swear, you never read what others are thinking, can you?"
"S-Sorry…"
When two girls regained enough energy, they disengaged their Striker Units and shook their legs. Of the other girls, Izetta noticed how Yoshika's bruises and scrapes started disappearing. She gazed on the Fuso Witch as she easily guessed her power.
"Tell me," she spoke to the recruit. "Is your clan specialized in healing?"
"H-How did you?" Yoshika raised her eyes over the statement.
"I could see your wounds healing quickly," the White Witch then turned to Minna, and then to Lynette. "Minna-sama is about senses, and yours is close to my power."
Yoshika and Lynette gazed in awe as they laid on the ground. Minna was also impressed by this particular feat, especially her accuracy.
"You're pretty ingenious in identifying a Witch's abilities."
Izetta shook her head.
"It's just part of our power," Izetta explained. "Unlike my clan, the others unconsciously give off auras that we can sense. By feeling the patterns, we can guess what kind of abilities they have with accuracy. Even the deviants who share our clan's blood are vulnerable to this power."
"Deviants?" Fine turned to Izetta.
Minna and Yoshika were also curious. They turned to Lynette, who had an uneasy look on her face.
"Many of the Witch clans are those who wanted to obtain our power, but we have to find men who can pass down our bloodline. We use our power to sense them so we could carry our clan's bloodline, but that is scarce, and our numbers dwindled to only a few of us."
"So you can only bear children with certain men, or have no children at all?"
Izetta shook her head at Alice's question.
"There are those who can bear children, even if they can't pass down the full bloodline. Those with ancestry from other Witch clans can, but only inherit a fraction of their power. Grandma kept calling them illegitimate members because they do not possess our full blood, even if they have the same powers to a degree."
"Amazing, so you two are distant relatives of one another! You should be proud of abilities, Lynn-san!" However, Yoshika could sense bitterness coming from the Britannian Witch. Izetta could see deeper as a sense of hate and self-depreciation. "Lynn-san?"
"I'm envious of you all…"
"Huh, why?"
"It's like what Izetta said. Even though our powers are similar, I'm a fake, an illegitimate relative who only has a part of the White Witch's power. Even you and Alice are much better than me." Lynnette turned to the base. "I have no redeeming qualities at all. I don't know if I even belong here, no," she turned to Izetta. "The moment you came here, I knew I had no right to be here anymore."
"Eh?" Yoshika jumped. "But Lynn-san, all I can do is heal! If your powers are like Izetta-san's, then I know that you are good!"
"Only during training. In actual warfare, I can't even fly."
"But if you can do it during training…"
"Says the one who can pilot a Striker Unit without any!" Lynette snapped at Yoshika, intimidating the young girl. Without bearing to look at the other girls, she turned away. "Excuse me…"
The young officer then ran off from the group. Yoshika sensed hurt feelings coming from Lynette's mouth. Alice merely stood there, unsure of what to say. But Izetta had guilt that went far deeper than Yoshika. Like young Sergeant, she sensed self-disgust more than anything, someone the White Witch was more than familiar with in her lifetime.
"What's her problem?" Alice said, annoyed by her depreciation.
"Lynn-san…" Yoshika muttered, wanting to chase after her.
"Don't Miyafuji," Minna called on her to stand down. "This isn't the first she's been like this, even before her arrival on this base."
"I…I…"
"Izetta-san," Fine noticed Izetta stuttering. She sighed, knowing that her close friend wanted to say something. "It's not your fault. You didn't mean to offend someone like that."
"No, it is my fault," Izetta cried. "Because I hurt her...I hurt myself…"
Alice remained annoyedly speechless. Minna sighed once more, knowing things will not be easy in the short run.
Perhaps this is why the Weisse Hexe clan is so small and rare. Illegitimate or not, those born with their power carry the curse of loneliness and self-hate that breeds within. One they cannot run away from, however…
Minna faced the recruit, who stared in the distance where Officer Bishop went. She did not have to look at the White Witch to know she thought the same thing.
Even in a war, there's always someone who cares about people, someone who can break that curse even in the Weisse Hexe clan. Those who know that in our unit can genuinely have the right to be called a Witch.
And that's the prelude. I'm likely to break the battle into two or three chapters that'll cover the rest of the episode.
As a note, the actual shot-down count for Hartmann and Barkhorn were 200 and 250 respectively. I shortened the count not only because the story happens earlier in the fic but also make reasonable numbers regarding their rank.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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Episode 5-2
The next part of the Episode is here. Before then, here are some notes.
First, I've revised and added more to Gertrud and Mio's quote lists. They now include some for Sailor Moon, Chibiusa, and even Vividred's Crow.
Second, I decided to move the next work introduced as early as next episode. Once that's done, I'll move this series from the Izetta x Strike Witches category into something more appropriate, wherever that is…
Third, the small Neuroi aircraft enemies will be based on Horton 229 and Focke Rochen.
And now, for the chapter.
The air raid sirens went off the next morning. Even though the sun wasn't up, most of the 501st were ready to move out. Six of the members launched from the runway as they headed eastward. Mio spearheaded the attack, lifting her eyepatch to zoom into the distance.
"What are we looking at, Major?" Lieutenant Barkhorn was the closest to Sakamoto. Erica was nearby while Francesca, Perrine, and Charlotte trailed behind.
"The radar reported enemy movement from this airspace," Sakamoto instructed. "Although there are multiple contacts, they are in a less organized manner. Commander Wilcke suspects that we're dealing with Neuroi."
"The enemy must be serious if they're attacking from this time and direction," Charlotte overheard the two as she caught up. Thanks to her power, she was much faster than the normal Witch, which was characterized by the two white rabbit ears on her head. Her Striker Unit was a personal modification based on a P-51D Mustang, one of the most powerful current designs from Liberion.
"The attack force's altitude is also higher than usual," the Major added. "Barkhorn, Hartmann, you take up the front this time. Shirley, Lucchini, you take the rear. Perrine will pair up with me."
The Witches reorganized themselves into three rows. Mio continued to view the airspace ahead of them to keep watch for the enemy.
"Too bad those rookies couldn't come with us, wouldn't you say, Shirley?" Francesca turned her ally by on the side, who only gave a mischievous smile.
"This is the front line," Perrine replied in irritation. "Rookies will only slow us down."
"Come on, Perrine. It's better than having the Commander babysit them over the mission."
The Galian Witch huffed to the side, concentrating more on her beloved superior.
"The enemy will not wait for them to grow," Barkhorn commented. "They're better going home than staying here."
"At least we won't have any insubordination in our ranks," Erica joked, which only Gertrud could understand. Even then, she did not comment.
"Heads up!" Mio called out as she spotted the enemy. "The enemy's approaching!"
The girl continued ahead as a swarm of Neuroi vessels came into their sight. It wasn't long before another battle was underway.
Back at the base, some of the recruits wandered near the hanger. Although they got up like everyone else in response to the siren, they were ordered to remain on the base. The attack required professionals, and other than those used for night patrol and the commander, the others were just greenhorns still undergoing training. There were also the two combat-capable guests that didn't have any actual rank.
"Why can't we launch as well?"
Alice waved her legs while sitting on the concrete plane of the hangar bay. Yoshika and Izetta stood by each other as they witnessed the Witches scramble to intercept. Of all the girls, Alice was the most frustrated since that meant fewer enemies to fight.
"It's per orders," Minna stood by the stationed girls, responding to Alice's question. "You're still a civilian, and Yoshika and Lynette are Witches-in-training."
"What about you, Izetta-san?" Alice turned to the White Witch, who was more guilty, yet should be freer than the others. Even though Alice and the others were ordered to stand by, Izetta was not a member of the 501st and took orders from her Archduchess instead.
"The Princess wanted to keep me on the base. She has a bad feeling about this attack and didn't want me to go."
"Fine wishes to keep her safe from danger," the Commander explained. "Furthermore, she has yet to disclose more information about her abilities. If it is Fine's wishes, then we shall not argue against her."
Izetta slept in the same room as the Archduchess during the night. When the radar tower sounded the alarm, she went into a panic until Fine calmed her down. Before Minna's briefing, Izetta received a talk to refrain herself from fighting too much. As much as she wanted to protect her friend, she was still too valuable to be lost and inexperienced against the Neuroi.
Yoshika was just as alert as Izetta, but as a soldier with no one else sleeping with her, she was more ready to participate. However, she noticed something peculiar this time around.
"By the way, Minna-san, have you seen Lynn-san anywhere?"
"Not today, unfortunately," Minna shook her head. "Did you try her room?"
"I knocked on the door, but she wouldn't answer."
Even though the alarm went off, the Britannian Witch did not appear. As her neighbor next door, Yoshika didn't even see her leave. She even called to her a few times, but there was no answer, so she thought that Lynette either was still sleeping or already left for the briefing. She could not find her at the briefing at all, which meant she remained locked up that night.
"She's probably still reeling about what Izetta said," Alice guessed. "I don't know what she's thinking, but she needs to get over it sooner or later."
"It's more burdening than you think," Minna stepped, speaking sharply to Alice's words.
"Minna-san," Yoshika turned to her commander as she addressed the three girls.
"Miyafuji, Miss Izetta, I need to have a word with you about Sergeant Bishop."
As the most self-depreciated of the three, Izetta was the one to speak first.
"M-Miss Wilcke, if it is about what I said before, I wanted to say that I'm-"
"That's not the problem here," the commander calmed her down, switching to a different topic. "Tell me, why did you two come to Britannia? Why do you choose to stand by the Witches rather than stay at your respective homes?"
"I-I just wanted to stand by the Princess," Izetta answered as Minna faced her first. "She wants to help her country, so we both journeyed here to gain allies who would join us. It had nothing to do with the other Witches."
"I just wanted to find where the action was," Alice pounded her fists together. "I need to fight in real battles if I want to get stronger."
Minna sighed over the hot-blooded girl while turning to the recruit.
"And you, Sergeant Yoshika?"
"I wish to help those who were in need."
Of all the answers given, Yoshika's response gave the most positive reaction. Or at least, that's what prompted her to respond.
"Those were the same words she said when she first arrived on the base," Minna addressed. "In case you haven't learned already, Britannia is not only the remaining stable part of Europe not threatened by war or disorder like in Eylstadt and Central Europe. It is also her homeland."
Izetta found herself surprised like Yoshika was. Alice didn't find it too interesting as the commander continued.
"Because Britannia is a critical member of the Allies, the pressure is overwhelming for her. She succumbs to her fears of failing and blames herself when anything bad happens. Such a mindset severely hinders her ability in actual warfare."
"Then," Yoshika wondered. "She wanted to prove her worth, too!"
"When you put it that way, Lynette is no different from the three of you," Minna got close to the recruit to the point it made her blush. "Yoshika, you said you wanted to help people." She went to the White Witch and patted her head, causing her to shake it in embarrassment. "And Miss Izetta, you came here so you could defend Eylstadt for your Archduchess, no? Never forget those feelings, and I'm sure you'll be able to help anyone."
Yoshika and Fine were left astounded by the Commander's words. Meanwhile, Minna went to Alice and did not give any friendly gestures.
"As for you, Alice, you need to start finding something you want to protect as well," the commander advised the Psionic girl in a serious tone. "Fine told me about your mission, about how you seek to save the world. But you left your homeland and are directionless about where to go right after. What's the point in saving the world if there's nowhere for you to return?"
"But I…"
"Please understand this. Not just for us, but your own sake as well."
"I…"
Minna's last words left Alice trailing before she left the group to their own devices. It wasn't that she couldn't argue against her; she just never gave the idea any thought. As for the others, they don't know to help, but they at least know what to do.
The 501st Witches that were dispatched to intercept closed in on the enemy Neuroi force. Mio's eye sighted a wave of eight incoming units, four of them looked like floating gunships while the other four were flying wings.
"Multiple Neuroi units, incoming!" Mio warned her squadron as she closed her eyepatch. "All units, attack!"
The squadron broke up as they confronted the enemy aircraft. The Neuroi craft fired beams at the intercepting force. After dodging the beams, the Witches responded in kind by returning fire.
Barkhorn and Erica were the first two engage. The Lieutenant took out one of the flying wings without putting up her shield. Erica got to the side of another and performed her special attack, the Sturm, which looked like a normal barrel roll but also manipulated strong winds. The enemy craft lost control of its flight before she gunned it down from above. Francesca and Shirley went in a scissors formation to avoid the enemy fire while taking out three of the gunship units. Perrine went ahead of Mio to gun down another flying wing.
The Major, on the other hand, found something odd about this attack. None of the Neuroi appeared to have any cores. That was more obvious when she cut down the last flying wing unit; it did not regenerate its damaged wing. She searched the falling craft with her eye, which further confirmed that suspicion.
Barkhorn finished off the remaining Neuroi craft as it plunged into the sea.
"Enemy targets eliminated."
"Alright," Francesca cheered. "Another mission accomplished!"
"It's too early to say that," Mio denounced as she closed her eyepatch again.
"This is strange," Perrine also caught the same suspicions that Mio did. "Aren't these units going down easier than they should?"
"I'm not finding any cores within the units either."
"You don't mean...this attack fleet was a diversion?"
"In that case," Perrine's words made the Major realize it. "The base is in danger!"
Back on the base, Yoshika, Izetta, and Alice stood by the door to Lynette's room. Yoshika was the closest while Izetta and Alice remained by the sides.
"Lynn-san, can you hear me?" The young Sergeant asked politely.
"L-Lady Bishop, I want to apologize about last night," Izetta added.
There was still no response. But after checking everywhere else, there was no other place Lynette could be. The door was also locked, which certainly could not have been done from the outside.
"We know you're in there," Alice joined in. "What we ought to tell you is that you need to stop blaming yourself for everything."
There was still no response, which prompted her to be blunter and more aggressive.
"Everyone here has something at stake here. You're not the only one pressured about protecting those you love or feeling so guilty about being helpless! Why can't you understand that?"
Lynette Bishop kept her back against the door. She had been like this ever since she woke up. Even though she dressed up and got ready for battle, she could not bear leaving the room. Alice's words that were supposed to bring their point across only prompted a hurtful reaction, which shook the door a little.
"L-Lady Bishop," Izetta spoke up after a moment of silence. "If you feel guilty about yourself, then I feel worse about myself than you ever did."
The White Witch's words caused the Britannian girl to ease her tension. At the very least, it got Lynette to listen.
"Ever since my childhood, as a descendant of Weisse Hexe, I've always lived with no one else other than my grandmother. She always shunned me for my power, and always told me never to use them even if it's to help people just like our ancestor. Even now, I feel hateful of myself for having this power, and not being able to live a lifestyle like anyone else."
Lynne did not want to deny what she said. Not only was she part of a wealthy merchant family, but she also had a large family with several other siblings, including a father and mother. But besides being in a wealthy family, she never had that the friends Izetta had. Even then, she did not expect the White Witch to speak those words.
"You had something to protect long before I did. I only had the Princess, and that was after years of living with my grandmother. I should be the one with no redeemable qualities."
Lynette's hands softened. It wasn't enough to motivate her, but she sensed the same feelings she always knew. They were of self-doubt, shame, and lack of value in the world. Those same feelings must have plagued the White Witch, just like how they plagued her.
"I'm not so good as a Witch either," Yoshika's followed. "I'm terrible at magic, and always get scolded. I can't fly well, and I hate using guns. I don't even want to fight anyone, even if it's a Neuroi. But…I want to be in the Witches. Because if my magic can save even one person, if there's something no one else can do, then I want to do it. I protect this unit, and…to protect everyone!"
Protect?
That word triggered something within Lynette. Her body released all tension as she faced the door.
"You and Yoshika are not the only ones who wish to make a change either," Alice added. "Izetta and I know this, too. You are capable of doing things even your White Witch can never do. If you want to know, you can ask her right here and now. She'll tell you everything, and that you should be grateful for who you are!"
"Izetta-san, Alice-san, and I will do our best," Yoshika finished her speech. "So that's why you should, too, Lynn-san!"
The astounded Lynette was left speechless from the girls' speeches. It was probably the first time she heard someone say any of that to her. Not even her family offered that kind of encouragement during her life. For that reason, she was desperate to find more.
But before she could exit the door, the air raid sirens went off again. That could only mean one thing; another attack was incoming.
Minna called for Eila within one of the meeting halls. After getting reports of new sightings, she was desperate to stage a counterattack.
"Our radar suddenly found a new enemy Neuroi force attacking from the south. There's also a high-speed unit that's far out of range from our main force."
The initial attack looked like the enemy attempted to attack Britannia while remaining by the edge of the bases' range. The size was too great for them to let it pass by, so they had to intercept. It was still an error on her part to not account for a second wave.
"Judging by the current path, they're both aiming for this base," Fine read the same report. "I doubt an evacuation is an option."
Minna shook head in confirmation.
"This base is the currently the largest stronghold keeping the Neuroi from attacking cities such as London. We need to hold here, but Eila and I are the only ones who can launch."
"Sanya used up all of her magic during her night patrol," the Soumus Witch made an X with her fingers. "No good for her."
Fine sighed over the situation, sharing the same frustration as the commander.
"Very well, the two of us will go then."
"Then why not make it five?"
The boast came from Alice, who rushed from the hallway. Izetta appeared a little later, breathing heavily after running such a short distance. But Minna knew their condition and orders.
"You are to remain on this base."
"You said this base was in danger," Alice protested as she turned to Izetta. "Her princess is on this base. There's no way we're going to stand by while it gets torn apart!"
"Please, Miss Wilcke, Princess," Izetta pleaded. "Allow me and Alice to go!"
"I cannot order civilians to go off against a Neuroi force," Minna protested. "And the Archduchess does not want to put Izetta in great danger."
"Then allow me to go as well!"
Yoshika entered the room next, remaining strong and upstanding in front of the commander.
"It's too soon for you to fight in an actual battle. Besides, you're still hesitant to shoot."
"I'll shoot if it's to protect someone!"
"Even so, you three are inexperienced and don't have proper military training."
"Then I will go, too!" Lynette came in afterward. "Yoshika and I can still at least amount to one!"
Minna gazed on Lynette's eyes. Those were not the same ones she usually saw when seeing the Britannian Witch. She was always quiet and reserved, and her eyes remained dull. Perhaps her words, or rather the other three girls said something that motivated her. What mattered was that this wasn't the same Lynette, at least not at the moment.
"Please, Princess," Izetta also demanded from the Archduchess "Alice and I will protect this base."
Izetta's eyes were now becoming a more common occurrence for the Archduchess. It became more evident that every decision she made to her, despite her protested, were completely resolute.
"Very well," Fine accepted her request. "Just promise that you'll be back."
"Lady Fine," Minna faced the Archduchess. "Those two may be your accomplices, but they're putting themselves at great risk without military training. Besides, will they be able to use their magic in this area?"
"Magic?" Yoshika faced Izetta, confused by what the commander meant. Lynette also drew the same blank.
"Izetta is my friend, and Alice has already proven to be a capable fighter. If it's to protect me, then there's nothing I can do to stop them."
Minna then turned to the other three girls, including Alice despite her lack of military rank.
"Nothing will change your minds, won't you?" She received no replies from any of them. "You two, get ready in ninety seconds! Alice and Miss Izetta, you two follow my lead and await further orders!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The two Sergeants ran off to prepare their Striker Units. Alice and Izetta tagged alongside Minna and Eila as they headed down to the launch bay, hoping to be ready in time.
The next chapter will complete the battle and have the epilogue. Once that's done, that'll finish everything related to just Izetta x Witches x original content for MGC.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the reading.
First, I've revised and added more to Gertrud and Mio's quote lists. They now include some for Sailor Moon, Chibiusa, and even Vividred's Crow.
Second, I decided to move the next work introduced as early as next episode. Once that's done, I'll move this series from the Izetta x Strike Witches category into something more appropriate, wherever that is…
Third, the small Neuroi aircraft enemies will be based on Horton 229 and Focke Rochen.
And now, for the chapter.
The air raid sirens went off the next morning. Even though the sun wasn't up, most of the 501st were ready to move out. Six of the members launched from the runway as they headed eastward. Mio spearheaded the attack, lifting her eyepatch to zoom into the distance.
"What are we looking at, Major?" Lieutenant Barkhorn was the closest to Sakamoto. Erica was nearby while Francesca, Perrine, and Charlotte trailed behind.
"The radar reported enemy movement from this airspace," Sakamoto instructed. "Although there are multiple contacts, they are in a less organized manner. Commander Wilcke suspects that we're dealing with Neuroi."
"The enemy must be serious if they're attacking from this time and direction," Charlotte overheard the two as she caught up. Thanks to her power, she was much faster than the normal Witch, which was characterized by the two white rabbit ears on her head. Her Striker Unit was a personal modification based on a P-51D Mustang, one of the most powerful current designs from Liberion.
"The attack force's altitude is also higher than usual," the Major added. "Barkhorn, Hartmann, you take up the front this time. Shirley, Lucchini, you take the rear. Perrine will pair up with me."
The Witches reorganized themselves into three rows. Mio continued to view the airspace ahead of them to keep watch for the enemy.
"Too bad those rookies couldn't come with us, wouldn't you say, Shirley?" Francesca turned her ally by on the side, who only gave a mischievous smile.
"This is the front line," Perrine replied in irritation. "Rookies will only slow us down."
"Come on, Perrine. It's better than having the Commander babysit them over the mission."
The Galian Witch huffed to the side, concentrating more on her beloved superior.
"The enemy will not wait for them to grow," Barkhorn commented. "They're better going home than staying here."
"At least we won't have any insubordination in our ranks," Erica joked, which only Gertrud could understand. Even then, she did not comment.
"Heads up!" Mio called out as she spotted the enemy. "The enemy's approaching!"
The girl continued ahead as a swarm of Neuroi vessels came into their sight. It wasn't long before another battle was underway.
Back at the base, some of the recruits wandered near the hanger. Although they got up like everyone else in response to the siren, they were ordered to remain on the base. The attack required professionals, and other than those used for night patrol and the commander, the others were just greenhorns still undergoing training. There were also the two combat-capable guests that didn't have any actual rank.
"Why can't we launch as well?"
Alice waved her legs while sitting on the concrete plane of the hangar bay. Yoshika and Izetta stood by each other as they witnessed the Witches scramble to intercept. Of all the girls, Alice was the most frustrated since that meant fewer enemies to fight.
"It's per orders," Minna stood by the stationed girls, responding to Alice's question. "You're still a civilian, and Yoshika and Lynette are Witches-in-training."
"What about you, Izetta-san?" Alice turned to the White Witch, who was more guilty, yet should be freer than the others. Even though Alice and the others were ordered to stand by, Izetta was not a member of the 501st and took orders from her Archduchess instead.
"The Princess wanted to keep me on the base. She has a bad feeling about this attack and didn't want me to go."
"Fine wishes to keep her safe from danger," the Commander explained. "Furthermore, she has yet to disclose more information about her abilities. If it is Fine's wishes, then we shall not argue against her."
Izetta slept in the same room as the Archduchess during the night. When the radar tower sounded the alarm, she went into a panic until Fine calmed her down. Before Minna's briefing, Izetta received a talk to refrain herself from fighting too much. As much as she wanted to protect her friend, she was still too valuable to be lost and inexperienced against the Neuroi.
Yoshika was just as alert as Izetta, but as a soldier with no one else sleeping with her, she was more ready to participate. However, she noticed something peculiar this time around.
"By the way, Minna-san, have you seen Lynn-san anywhere?"
"Not today, unfortunately," Minna shook her head. "Did you try her room?"
"I knocked on the door, but she wouldn't answer."
Even though the alarm went off, the Britannian Witch did not appear. As her neighbor next door, Yoshika didn't even see her leave. She even called to her a few times, but there was no answer, so she thought that Lynette either was still sleeping or already left for the briefing. She could not find her at the briefing at all, which meant she remained locked up that night.
"She's probably still reeling about what Izetta said," Alice guessed. "I don't know what she's thinking, but she needs to get over it sooner or later."
"It's more burdening than you think," Minna stepped, speaking sharply to Alice's words.
"Minna-san," Yoshika turned to her commander as she addressed the three girls.
"Miyafuji, Miss Izetta, I need to have a word with you about Sergeant Bishop."
As the most self-depreciated of the three, Izetta was the one to speak first.
"M-Miss Wilcke, if it is about what I said before, I wanted to say that I'm-"
"That's not the problem here," the commander calmed her down, switching to a different topic. "Tell me, why did you two come to Britannia? Why do you choose to stand by the Witches rather than stay at your respective homes?"
"I-I just wanted to stand by the Princess," Izetta answered as Minna faced her first. "She wants to help her country, so we both journeyed here to gain allies who would join us. It had nothing to do with the other Witches."
"I just wanted to find where the action was," Alice pounded her fists together. "I need to fight in real battles if I want to get stronger."
Minna sighed over the hot-blooded girl while turning to the recruit.
"And you, Sergeant Yoshika?"
"I wish to help those who were in need."
Of all the answers given, Yoshika's response gave the most positive reaction. Or at least, that's what prompted her to respond.
"Those were the same words she said when she first arrived on the base," Minna addressed. "In case you haven't learned already, Britannia is not only the remaining stable part of Europe not threatened by war or disorder like in Eylstadt and Central Europe. It is also her homeland."
Izetta found herself surprised like Yoshika was. Alice didn't find it too interesting as the commander continued.
"Because Britannia is a critical member of the Allies, the pressure is overwhelming for her. She succumbs to her fears of failing and blames herself when anything bad happens. Such a mindset severely hinders her ability in actual warfare."
"Then," Yoshika wondered. "She wanted to prove her worth, too!"
"When you put it that way, Lynette is no different from the three of you," Minna got close to the recruit to the point it made her blush. "Yoshika, you said you wanted to help people." She went to the White Witch and patted her head, causing her to shake it in embarrassment. "And Miss Izetta, you came here so you could defend Eylstadt for your Archduchess, no? Never forget those feelings, and I'm sure you'll be able to help anyone."
Yoshika and Fine were left astounded by the Commander's words. Meanwhile, Minna went to Alice and did not give any friendly gestures.
"As for you, Alice, you need to start finding something you want to protect as well," the commander advised the Psionic girl in a serious tone. "Fine told me about your mission, about how you seek to save the world. But you left your homeland and are directionless about where to go right after. What's the point in saving the world if there's nowhere for you to return?"
"But I…"
"Please understand this. Not just for us, but your own sake as well."
"I…"
Minna's last words left Alice trailing before she left the group to their own devices. It wasn't that she couldn't argue against her; she just never gave the idea any thought. As for the others, they don't know to help, but they at least know what to do.
The 501st Witches that were dispatched to intercept closed in on the enemy Neuroi force. Mio's eye sighted a wave of eight incoming units, four of them looked like floating gunships while the other four were flying wings.
"Multiple Neuroi units, incoming!" Mio warned her squadron as she closed her eyepatch. "All units, attack!"
The squadron broke up as they confronted the enemy aircraft. The Neuroi craft fired beams at the intercepting force. After dodging the beams, the Witches responded in kind by returning fire.
Barkhorn and Erica were the first two engage. The Lieutenant took out one of the flying wings without putting up her shield. Erica got to the side of another and performed her special attack, the Sturm, which looked like a normal barrel roll but also manipulated strong winds. The enemy craft lost control of its flight before she gunned it down from above. Francesca and Shirley went in a scissors formation to avoid the enemy fire while taking out three of the gunship units. Perrine went ahead of Mio to gun down another flying wing.
The Major, on the other hand, found something odd about this attack. None of the Neuroi appeared to have any cores. That was more obvious when she cut down the last flying wing unit; it did not regenerate its damaged wing. She searched the falling craft with her eye, which further confirmed that suspicion.
Barkhorn finished off the remaining Neuroi craft as it plunged into the sea.
"Enemy targets eliminated."
"Alright," Francesca cheered. "Another mission accomplished!"
"It's too early to say that," Mio denounced as she closed her eyepatch again.
"This is strange," Perrine also caught the same suspicions that Mio did. "Aren't these units going down easier than they should?"
"I'm not finding any cores within the units either."
"You don't mean...this attack fleet was a diversion?"
"In that case," Perrine's words made the Major realize it. "The base is in danger!"
Back on the base, Yoshika, Izetta, and Alice stood by the door to Lynette's room. Yoshika was the closest while Izetta and Alice remained by the sides.
"Lynn-san, can you hear me?" The young Sergeant asked politely.
"L-Lady Bishop, I want to apologize about last night," Izetta added.
There was still no response. But after checking everywhere else, there was no other place Lynette could be. The door was also locked, which certainly could not have been done from the outside.
"We know you're in there," Alice joined in. "What we ought to tell you is that you need to stop blaming yourself for everything."
There was still no response, which prompted her to be blunter and more aggressive.
"Everyone here has something at stake here. You're not the only one pressured about protecting those you love or feeling so guilty about being helpless! Why can't you understand that?"
Lynette Bishop kept her back against the door. She had been like this ever since she woke up. Even though she dressed up and got ready for battle, she could not bear leaving the room. Alice's words that were supposed to bring their point across only prompted a hurtful reaction, which shook the door a little.
"L-Lady Bishop," Izetta spoke up after a moment of silence. "If you feel guilty about yourself, then I feel worse about myself than you ever did."
The White Witch's words caused the Britannian girl to ease her tension. At the very least, it got Lynette to listen.
"Ever since my childhood, as a descendant of Weisse Hexe, I've always lived with no one else other than my grandmother. She always shunned me for my power, and always told me never to use them even if it's to help people just like our ancestor. Even now, I feel hateful of myself for having this power, and not being able to live a lifestyle like anyone else."
Lynne did not want to deny what she said. Not only was she part of a wealthy merchant family, but she also had a large family with several other siblings, including a father and mother. But besides being in a wealthy family, she never had that the friends Izetta had. Even then, she did not expect the White Witch to speak those words.
"You had something to protect long before I did. I only had the Princess, and that was after years of living with my grandmother. I should be the one with no redeemable qualities."
Lynette's hands softened. It wasn't enough to motivate her, but she sensed the same feelings she always knew. They were of self-doubt, shame, and lack of value in the world. Those same feelings must have plagued the White Witch, just like how they plagued her.
"I'm not so good as a Witch either," Yoshika's followed. "I'm terrible at magic, and always get scolded. I can't fly well, and I hate using guns. I don't even want to fight anyone, even if it's a Neuroi. But…I want to be in the Witches. Because if my magic can save even one person, if there's something no one else can do, then I want to do it. I protect this unit, and…to protect everyone!"
Protect?
That word triggered something within Lynette. Her body released all tension as she faced the door.
"You and Yoshika are not the only ones who wish to make a change either," Alice added. "Izetta and I know this, too. You are capable of doing things even your White Witch can never do. If you want to know, you can ask her right here and now. She'll tell you everything, and that you should be grateful for who you are!"
"Izetta-san, Alice-san, and I will do our best," Yoshika finished her speech. "So that's why you should, too, Lynn-san!"
The astounded Lynette was left speechless from the girls' speeches. It was probably the first time she heard someone say any of that to her. Not even her family offered that kind of encouragement during her life. For that reason, she was desperate to find more.
But before she could exit the door, the air raid sirens went off again. That could only mean one thing; another attack was incoming.
Minna called for Eila within one of the meeting halls. After getting reports of new sightings, she was desperate to stage a counterattack.
"Our radar suddenly found a new enemy Neuroi force attacking from the south. There's also a high-speed unit that's far out of range from our main force."
The initial attack looked like the enemy attempted to attack Britannia while remaining by the edge of the bases' range. The size was too great for them to let it pass by, so they had to intercept. It was still an error on her part to not account for a second wave.
"Judging by the current path, they're both aiming for this base," Fine read the same report. "I doubt an evacuation is an option."
Minna shook head in confirmation.
"This base is the currently the largest stronghold keeping the Neuroi from attacking cities such as London. We need to hold here, but Eila and I are the only ones who can launch."
"Sanya used up all of her magic during her night patrol," the Soumus Witch made an X with her fingers. "No good for her."
Fine sighed over the situation, sharing the same frustration as the commander.
"Very well, the two of us will go then."
"Then why not make it five?"
The boast came from Alice, who rushed from the hallway. Izetta appeared a little later, breathing heavily after running such a short distance. But Minna knew their condition and orders.
"You are to remain on this base."
"You said this base was in danger," Alice protested as she turned to Izetta. "Her princess is on this base. There's no way we're going to stand by while it gets torn apart!"
"Please, Miss Wilcke, Princess," Izetta pleaded. "Allow me and Alice to go!"
"I cannot order civilians to go off against a Neuroi force," Minna protested. "And the Archduchess does not want to put Izetta in great danger."
"Then allow me to go as well!"
Yoshika entered the room next, remaining strong and upstanding in front of the commander.
"It's too soon for you to fight in an actual battle. Besides, you're still hesitant to shoot."
"I'll shoot if it's to protect someone!"
"Even so, you three are inexperienced and don't have proper military training."
"Then I will go, too!" Lynette came in afterward. "Yoshika and I can still at least amount to one!"
Minna gazed on Lynette's eyes. Those were not the same ones she usually saw when seeing the Britannian Witch. She was always quiet and reserved, and her eyes remained dull. Perhaps her words, or rather the other three girls said something that motivated her. What mattered was that this wasn't the same Lynette, at least not at the moment.
"Please, Princess," Izetta also demanded from the Archduchess "Alice and I will protect this base."
Izetta's eyes were now becoming a more common occurrence for the Archduchess. It became more evident that every decision she made to her, despite her protested, were completely resolute.
"Very well," Fine accepted her request. "Just promise that you'll be back."
"Lady Fine," Minna faced the Archduchess. "Those two may be your accomplices, but they're putting themselves at great risk without military training. Besides, will they be able to use their magic in this area?"
"Magic?" Yoshika faced Izetta, confused by what the commander meant. Lynette also drew the same blank.
"Izetta is my friend, and Alice has already proven to be a capable fighter. If it's to protect me, then there's nothing I can do to stop them."
Minna then turned to the other three girls, including Alice despite her lack of military rank.
"Nothing will change your minds, won't you?" She received no replies from any of them. "You two, get ready in ninety seconds! Alice and Miss Izetta, you two follow my lead and await further orders!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The two Sergeants ran off to prepare their Striker Units. Alice and Izetta tagged alongside Minna and Eila as they headed down to the launch bay, hoping to be ready in time.
The next chapter will complete the battle and have the epilogue. Once that's done, that'll finish everything related to just Izetta x Witches x original content for MGC.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the reading.
Episode 5-3
Alright, now to finish the Episode.
Note: The commanding Neuroi would be the Rheintochter X-3 in its first form and the Kramer X-4 in its second form like in Episode 3 of Strike Witches.
The second squadron of girls launched from the Dover base. Yoshika and Lynette launched together from the runway, shortly right after Minna and Eila did. Alice and Izetta took off elsewhere and joined the group after that. They did not follow a formation like the other Witches did but were right beside the two younger Witches.
Eila flew in a Striker Unit that resembled the G-2 model of Germania's Me 109 and carried an MG 42, both of which were owned by Karsland. She had the ears and tail of a black fox and helped Minna forecast future attacks conducted by the Neuroi. Minna's Striker Unit was a G-2/R6 model of the same plane. She carried an MG42 like her Karlsand comrades and a Walther PPK by the side. Her ears and tail were that of a gray wolf, which contributed to her powers. She could map the area and designate any number of targets by their direction, position, and classification. Bascially, she was a walking radar system.
"The radar shows two waves of Neuroi moving towards this base," Minna briefed the girls. Major Sakamoto informed her that she realized the diversion but will only assist in intercepting one of the two new attack forces. "A large fleet is approaching from the south while a fast one is moving from the west."
"So, you'd like us to deal with that large force, while you deal with the smaller unit?" Alice assumed those where their orders. Next to her was a line of lances kept in flight by Izetta's magic as shown by the trails of sparkles. These were specially tuned by the Eylstadt's smiths, who converted them into timed bombs; they would start the timer after impact, set for a few seconds before detonation. They were made to destroy Germania's tanks and other larger armored targets, so they were effective at killing Neuroi as well. "Good thing we brought those extra lances along. Your Princess and her friends sure come prepared, don't they?"
"I will never be able to repay the Princess and her friends for this gift."
Minna nodded as she continued her orders.
"You will provide support while we intercept the fast unit. Do not let any units pass through you."
"You got it!" Alice assured.
Minna and Eila accelerated ahead of them to catch up to the fast unit. The greener soldiers were now alone together.
The Britannian Witch among the group flew on a Striker Unit based on her country's Spitfire Mk. IX. Her primary weapon was a Boys anti-armor rifle she used as a sniper rifle against the Neuroi. Finally, her ears and tail were that of a straight-eared Scottish fold cat. The Witch remained uneasy, even when she gained the strength to launch with the other girls.
"Miyafuji, Alice, M-Miss Izetta," Lynette stuttered to gain their attention. "To tell you the truth, I was scared."
"I was scared, too, Lynn-san," Yoshika shared her feelings. "But I was even more scared about doing nothing at all."
Lynette nodded to the Witch. To not do anything at all…perhaps, there was truth to her words. But there was another matter she wanted to ask.
"Um, Miss Izetta," she contacted the White Witch to her surprise. "Sorry, but Alice said that there are some things you could not do. Your Princess also said something about using your magic? What did she mean by that?"
"I…"
Before Izetta could answer, Minna's voice broke within the intercom.
"Heads up! The Neuroi are approaching!"
On their three, they sighted a fleet of enemy ships approaching their position. They were composed of flying wings and gunship units, which came in overwhelming numbers but made Alice's blood boil even more.
"Alright! Time to take them out!"
"Bishop, Miyafuji," Minna called to the other Witches. "I need you two to help take down the fast one. You let Alice and Izetta handle the rest."
"R-Right!"
The two Witches broke off, leaving the two non-military girls on their own.
"Fine by us! More bad guys for us to take down! Right, Izetta?"
Alice turned to the uneasy White Witch, who faced the army of Neuroi ships that stood before them. The numbers were overwhelming, but as long as they threatened the Archduchess, that did not matter to her. The only concern was the one that she did not share with Lynette. She checked her mana pool, and the response showed that the area was stable for her to fight.
"Everyone!" Izetta lined up her lances as she turned to the alien craft.
Alice went on ahead, hoping the Neuroi ships would attack her first. She got the first strike as she threw the first two sparks, destroying one of the flying wings. Although they retaliated by firing their beams that Alice, who dodged with a barrel roll, they didn't stop their course and merely passed by the Psionic girl.
The Neuroi converged onto Izetta, who sent her lances to attack them. The enemy ships fired their beams, which varied in success. Some beams deflected thanks to the magic imbued into the lances while others shot them down. The lances were intelligent enough that some avoided the beams before hitting their targets.
Several Neuroi craft were destroyed, but the remaining continued towards the Witches, Izetta in particular. Alice swung around to down another couple of gunship-like Neuroi as a few fired more beams against her in retaliation. Many of the flying wings converged onto the White Witch, prompting her to move around in a panic, evading the beams that came after her. She sent more of her lances to attack the wings that passed by her, sending them into the channel.
Alice continued to fight off the enemy craft. Using her wind attacks, she cut through several more flying wing types and gunship units as she narrowly avoided their shots. Another beam grazed her by the gauntlet, but that did not stop her from countering with another spark against the gunship that fired it. One more flying wing flew on a collision course against her, firing a few beams at her. She responded in kind by propelling herself forward and ramming through with her fist and flames, apparently cleaving the aircraft in two.
Alice thought highly of herself as she was now getting used to fighting the Neuroi. She headed over to Izetta's location; the White Witch was still having trouble with the number of beams and ships surrounding her. She barely avoided a beam that tore through her clothing as she fired an empowered shell from her rifle into another gunship.
It looks like Witches aren't the only things attracted to her, Alice thought. As she observed, the Neuroi were almost ignoring Alice other than shooting back whenever she attacked. They seemed more focused on attacking the White Witch rather than the base. Why that was, she could never guess.
Izetta continued to avoid the beams as she navigated around the Neuroi craft. She called on more lances to destroy several more machines to get them out of the way. However, just when she was about to call another set of units, she noticed something terrible happen. Her rifle started losing its magic.
"E-EEHH!?" At random moments, Izetta found herself descending closer to the ocean, barely receiving any magic in the area. That also applied to her lances, which started plummeting to the ground.
"Izetta!" Alice caught the sight of the falling White Witch. After avoiding another volley of beams, she descended to rescue her. The enemy craft continued to fire as they nearly missed their depowered target. Two managed to get her clothes while another damaged her by the rifle, sending her spinning.
The Psionic girl used her power to throw a wave of fire and strong winds to distract the enemy force. Once the Neuroi stopped firing their beams, she rocketed towards the White Witch, catching her just before she hit the water.
"T-Thank you," Izetta could not help but appreciate her rescuer coming at a critical moment. With only her feet to propel herself, Alice carried Izetta over across the water.
"That was a close one back there," Alice commented. "You better not use your magic all at once."
Izetta shook her head, indicating that it was not the problem.
"It looks like there are some gaps in this part of the channel. My magic is not as strong as it used to be."
"I'll help get you stable for now. But after that, we have to stop them from reaching those two."
Nodding to Alice's statement, she reached out for another response. Once she got a decent amount of mana ready, she imbued her rifle and sought to recollect her lances. It wasn't long before she resumed fighting back against the Neuroi.
Yoshika and Lynette observed the battle from afar. They were ordered to stand guard, directly in front of the fast Neuroi's path, while Minna and Eila engaged. But without new orders, they took the time to observe the battle with their comrades.
"Izetta…."
"Izetta-san…"
Both just observed Izetta nearly crashing down into the channel. It was like she lost control of her magic or, considering how her rifle and lances stopped sparkling, she ran out of it. Alice had to rescue the girl before dragging her until she radiated with green energy again. Perhaps this was what the Psionic girl and Archduchess mentioned about the White Witch?
Before they could ponder more, their Commander's voice came into the intercom.
"Miyafuji, Yoshika! The Neuroi has accelerated! You're the only ones we can rely on. Take it down now!"
During their pursuit, Minna and Eila tailed behind the enemy Neuroi. Because the craft was unusually fast and close to the water, hit-and-run tactics were not an option. Therefore, they had to get behind and match the unit's speed. But after doing what looked like significant damage to the Neuroi, it suddenly disengaged its lower section. Besides getting distracted by the ejected rear half, the frontal half accelerated way beyond the Witches' top speed.
It was now up to Lynette and Yoshika to take it down. Lynette panicked over their orders but proceeded fire at the enemy craft. However, not only did the Neuroi avoid her shots, but she fired sloppily.
"It's no good! I can't hit it!"
"Your powers are like that of Izetta's," Yoshika reminded the girl. "You can move your shots as she can!"
"It's taking all I have just to fly! I can't!"
"Don't worry! If you're good during training, then you'll do fine here!"
"But…"
Lynette did not except Yoshika's next move, who swooped under her. She rested underneath the Britannian Witch, grabbing both legs and resting her back under her crotch. Lynette no longer felt herself moving, although the position was disturbing for her.
"I'll keep you stable," Yoshika assured her Witch comrade, who blushed out of her mind. "You can focus on shooting now, right?"
The Britannian girl was too embarrassed to answer, but continuous Neuroi beams diverted her attention. Alice and Izetta continued to intercept the enemy force; the former threw two sparks at another flying wing, and Izetta destroyed three more craft with her lances.
"Don't worry about us!" Alice called out to them in the intercom. "We still got it from here!"
But then, a continuous rain of gunfire came from the side. The rest of the 501st joined the two girls as they intercepted the large fleet.
"We'll continue to divert the enemy force," Mio said after listening in on Lynette and Yoshika's conversation. "You just focus on the target, understand?"
"R-Roger!"
Both of the recruits returned to the task at hand. With all worries cleared, Lynette focused all of her attention on confronting the Neuroi.
If I can predict the Neuroi's future position after evading and aim there, the Witch could do more than control her shots. Although it was out of instinct rather than an ability like Eila's, she could accurately predict a target's trajectory with the next few moments. Of course, she needed to get the craft to move around first.
"Miyafuji, shoot with me!" Lynette called to Miyafuji below, who aimed her weapon at the machine. If she could get someone to create diversionary fire, it will allow her to get a better read on the enemy's flight pattern. Now she needed to focus…
"Now!"
At her signal, Yoshika fired her machinegun, prompting the Neuroi to evade. By obtaining the enemy craft's flight pattern, Lynette responded with several shots from her anti-armor rifle. With every shot, she manipulated their trajectory as if they homed in on their target. The first few grazed the Neuroi by the side, causing it to swerve. The next shot after was a more direct hit, sending it barreling into the water. The last shot pierced through its core, shattering it into white shards.
The strong winds brought by the Neuroi blew its remains into the faces of both Witches, sending them flying backward. When the mist settled in, both Witches jerked around to see what happened. There were no signs of the enemy Neuroi, and the 501st assisted Alice and Izetta in taking care of the rest.
"Target destroyed," Minna confirmed. "You did it!"
"We did it?" When Lynette realized that she got her first kill, she jumped for joy by hugging her friend below. "We did it, Miyafuji! We did it!"
Lynette's celebration caused Miyafuji to lose her balance. Both girls spun out of control as they plunged into the water.
"Miyafuji!"
"L-Lady Bishop!"
Mio flew alongside Izetta and Alice as the others finished off the remaining Neuroi craft. The two recruits burst from the water and laughed together over the incident. The other three girls flew over to lend them a hand.
"I think you should wait until you're on the shore before you start celebrating, right, Major?"
That was the first time Alice got her rank right. At least that was the one she knew, and one of the more important ones at that. Major Sakamoto laughed alongside the other two Witches still in the ocean.
"I'm glad that everyone made it okay."
The two girls nodded as they grabbed Mio and Izetta's hand. Lynette felt a little blush as the White Witch pulled her above the water. It wasn't long before the sergeants could restart their Striker Units and continued flying.
"Mission accomplished, everyone," Minna congratulated those present. "All personnel return to base."
"Yes, ma'am!"
With the crisis averted and the base secure, all the girls headed back for a debriefing.
Of the girls on the base, Lynette was the most pleased. Not only did she accomplish more than ever, but she gained new friends along the way. She couldn't help but congratulate the ones who supported her on the runway.
"Alice, Miyafuji, thank you for everything. It's because of you that I was useful to someone."
The Psionic girl patted the Britannian Witch by her head.
"What are you talking about? You did this all yourself!"
Lynette shook her head, both in objection and to get her hand off. Each of the three girls had their fair share of supporting her, but she had to thank the youngest of the three.
"If it weren't for Miyafuji, I wouldn't have done anything useful!"
"It's Yoshika," the newer recruit told her, leaving her confused for the moment. "We're friends, aren't we? You can call me Yoshika-chan!"
"In that case, you can keep calling me Lynn-chan!"
Both girls chuckled together as the Britannian Witch hugged her new friend, her breasts pressing on her face and suffocating her.
Meanwhile, Alice caught a glimpse of a little rodent creature she hadn't seen for a long time.
"Alice-sama, is that you? Thank Paradox, I found you."
Tipler hopped over with his two feet, accompanying the Archduchess by her side.
"What are you talking about, Tipler? I was looking for you the other day!"
"The boat made me seasick, and you already left before I could reach you," Tipler placed his hands on his stomach to show it still happening. It was the first time he ever rode on a boat, and he was a small creature, so his stomach churned more than a human's. Fine and Bianca took her to nearby veterinarian upon reaching the shore, despite the personnel there being oblivious as to what they were treating. "Goodness, you bring a lot of trouble."
"Well, I…"
While Alice was left to contend with the Murlock, the Archduchess sighed with relief upon encountering the battered and tattered White Witch.
"Thank goodness, Izetta."
"Sorry, Archduchess," he apologized, still holding onto her torn dress. She only received a pat on the cheek, causing her to blush.
"I'm glad you're safe. That's all that matters."
After noticing the White Witch, and giving Yoshika some time to breathe, Lynette ran off to greet her next new friend. Or perhaps, virtually, she was her late relative.
"Oh, Sister Izetta! I wanted to talk to you!"
"S-Sister!?" That word made Izetta jump, which stopped Lynette from grabbing her hand.
"Don't you like being called a sister?"
"N-No, it's not, but-"
"Then you can call me Sister Lynette!"
"I…I…"
Izetta was left speechless. Her face went red as she looked away to Fine, who only gave a soft laugh.
"It can't be helped."
"You girls did well out there," Minna stepped in. "For that, I am grateful for you."
"I-I am unworthy of your gratitude!"
As Izetta bowed before the commander of the 501st, she missed the other Witches approaching her.
"Ah, so this is the rumored Weisse Hexe girl that Lucchini talked about," Shirley came in, still holding her Browning machinegun. "Never thought the Queen of Witches would be so submissive."
"Why are you talking about her like that!?" The Galian Witch among exclaimed among the group. "She isn't that type of girl!"
"M-Miss P-Perrine?"
Izetta stuttered for the moment. Mio turned to the pale girl, curious as to what she meant.
"Is there something you want to say, Perrine-san?"
It was already too late when the Galian Witch realized her mistake. Now all the other girls, especially Francesca, inquired more about her interest in the White Witch.
"Don't tell me, you have an eye for someone else other than the Major, don't you?"
"N-Nothing! It's nothing!"
"Miss Clostermann," Izetta wanted to talk to her but was chased away instead.
"There's nothing out there between us two! Just leave me alone!"
The pigheaded girl stomped away, leaving Izetta and Fine pandering and the other Witches even more curious. What exactly was their relationship? No one else knew.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Minna cut in before facing the two younger Witches. "Miyafuji, Bishop, you did a good job. However, I need to see you two this afternoon."
That turned the girls' attention away from Perrine and back to the greenhorns of the unit. Even Yoshika was confused over the matter.
"Is something wrong, Minna-san?"
"No, but there is something we must discuss now that it has come this. Fine…"
The Archduchess nodded in compliance. Although Izetta did not have to come along, they both knew that this was inevitable. Even though they were not observed by human enemies, discounting the Neuroi, they did not expect it to be so soon.
"A meeting with the Commander?" Erica gave a smug grin.
"Maybe they're getting some time off?" Shirley joked.
"Or maybe they're getting scolded for falling into the water," Francesca teased.
"That is nothing of your concern," the commander said with a sharp tongue before facing her second-in-command for the unit. "Major Sakamoto, please escort Izetta and the others back to the base. Lieutenant Barkhorn and I will handle everything from here."
"As you say, Minna-san," the Major complied before ordering the team. "Everyone, head back to the hangar this instant!"
"Roger!"
The majority of the 501st went on ahead and followed Mio's lead. It wasn't long before Yoshika and Lynette were alone with Minna, Gertrud, and the other guests not belonging to the unit. Yoshika swore she could see the Lieutenant's cold eyes gazing on Yoshika.
"Minna-san, what's going on?" Miyafuji broke the silence as if the commander wanted her to speak first. "Did we do something wrong?"
"Commander Wilcke," Lynette spoke next, believing she was the one at fault. "If it's about not getting up until late, I can explain."
"This has nothing to do with you," Minna assured them before turning away. "This is about Miss Izetta."
"Izetta-san?" the young Fuso Witch also turned to the redhead, who displayed a face of guilt.
"Coming to think of it," Lynette recalled, "She had trouble with flying during the battle and needed Alice to pick her up."
The two Karsland Witches nodded in agreement. It was something that they already knew, which now became much more comfortable to explain.
"Please follow me, and we shall discuss this matter personally."
The two young Witches followed their superiors as did their guests of Eylstadt. Only Alice and her Murlock friend stayed behind, but they already knew where this was heading.
"Guess the secret's out."
"Alice-sama?"
"Izetta had problems during the battle this morning. Those two must have both seen her struggling and requiring me to get her back afoot."
"So that means," Tipler came to the same conclusion as Alice nodded.
"They know the secret, too, about Izetta's power."
"Then it won't be long before the rest also know."
Alice remained silent over the matter. There was nothing they could do for now. After all, they were still civilians in the eyes of the 501st. They had no say in the manner. Besides, the Psionic girl had something else to discuss.
"Tell me, Tipler. Is there someplace you'd like to go?"
"What are you saying, Alice-sama?" Tipler jumped over such an unusual statement.
"I mean, once we finish off the Vilag and save the world. Is there something you want to do after this is all over?"
"Why are you asking such questions?"
"Because the commander told me," Alice explained, recalling her words before her battle. "That I need something to protect. Otherwise, fighting the Vilag and saving the world isn't worth anything. Can you believe something like that?"
"Well, I," Tipler had nothing to say. Just like Alice, the Murlock never give it any thought. He was only tasked to help one of two girls and ensure that they saved the world. The question of what to do next was never part of his master's instructions.
"I don't know what she's talking about, but it's not like I'm not going to find out. Wherever I go is for me to decide, and that goes for you, once this is all over."
"It is as you say, Alice-sama."
Perhaps what Alice should have said was the reverse, asking where she wanted to go rather than Tipler, who was supposed to be her subordinate. It's not like she had any time to think about it either. After all, they're on a mission and have to fight their way to the very end.
Night had filled the Britannian sky. Perhaps it was because the islands were so high up the latitude, they experienced a longer daytime or nighttime than usual. During the summer or spring, it became more balanced, though increasingly longer or shorter every day.
However long the daytime was meant more or less sleep time for Sanya, who patrolled in her black Striker Unit based on Orussia's MiG 60. Her black cat ears scanned the area for any enemies that decided to attack. The Neuroi were known to come out at night, and no one wanted to be caught sleeping.
Of course, the Neuroi was not the only enemy that would dare to attack at night. Ever since the rise of Germania, there were fears of them coming in with an invasion force that could threaten the island. Currently, Orussia and Germania signed a non-aggression pact years before the latter's invasion of other countries. However, Orussia remained wary of their neighbor just like their Suomus ally. Suomus was more open against Germanian attack, but Orussia was a different matter. Should she engage the enemy force, the Orussian military will deny any involvement unless somehow, the non-aggression pact was broken.
Sanya remained as a scout, attacking only the Neuroi and warning over a Germanian invasion should that occur. She checked her Fliegerhammer, a four-barreled rocket launcher that belonged to the Karsland resistance movement, which was her only means of defense besides her magic shield. She did one last scan over the area, both with her eyes and Magic Antennas, to sense any hostile activities. So far, her nocturnal eyes saw nothing unusual, and her radar abilities came clean.
"Nothing else to observe."
It was probably the last lap of her patrol. She already found herself tired, and nothing came up this entire night. Only music stations from Britannia's radio towers and traffic from the airbases came into her ears. And then…
"Ekk," Sanya cringed over what sounded like static in her ears. Because her ears were sensitive to electronic signals, it made sense that her ears were in pain.
"W-What?"
She hesitated for the moments jerking around for any unusual activity. She honestly had never experienced this kind of activity through her ears, as if they were going to rupture. Was this the Neuroi's doing? Or was it Germania's?
When she found nothing in the sky, Sanya descended to the ground. With the clouds in their way, it was possible that enemies would sneak under her from the bottom. It was a quick search for any moving shadows, but again, nothing came up. Still, it was something she couldn't just let slide.
"Sleepy," the Orussian Witch yawned as she eased her guard and returned to Dover. She decided to write a report for now and leave the rest to Minna. At the very least, it was better than not reporting this at all and being reprimanded for it later.
What she didn't realize was the source of the electronic disturbance. Within the distance, but under the clouds where the Witch couldn't see, an electrical storm sparked by the water. It was brief and lasted only for a few seconds, but it was enough to leave something behind. Drifting in the channel was a humanoid figure far too big to be an actual human. It resembled more like a machine, which had runes and lines that should glow. The machine was out of power for now, but it would not take long for someone to discover it. It was just a matter of when, and a question of how.
And that concludes the episode.
Next episode, I will introduce the following work from the roster. While there's a clue here, it'll be a while since it doesn't officially appear until the second part of the next episode.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Note: The commanding Neuroi would be the Rheintochter X-3 in its first form and the Kramer X-4 in its second form like in Episode 3 of Strike Witches.
The second squadron of girls launched from the Dover base. Yoshika and Lynette launched together from the runway, shortly right after Minna and Eila did. Alice and Izetta took off elsewhere and joined the group after that. They did not follow a formation like the other Witches did but were right beside the two younger Witches.
Eila flew in a Striker Unit that resembled the G-2 model of Germania's Me 109 and carried an MG 42, both of which were owned by Karsland. She had the ears and tail of a black fox and helped Minna forecast future attacks conducted by the Neuroi. Minna's Striker Unit was a G-2/R6 model of the same plane. She carried an MG42 like her Karlsand comrades and a Walther PPK by the side. Her ears and tail were that of a gray wolf, which contributed to her powers. She could map the area and designate any number of targets by their direction, position, and classification. Bascially, she was a walking radar system.
"The radar shows two waves of Neuroi moving towards this base," Minna briefed the girls. Major Sakamoto informed her that she realized the diversion but will only assist in intercepting one of the two new attack forces. "A large fleet is approaching from the south while a fast one is moving from the west."
"So, you'd like us to deal with that large force, while you deal with the smaller unit?" Alice assumed those where their orders. Next to her was a line of lances kept in flight by Izetta's magic as shown by the trails of sparkles. These were specially tuned by the Eylstadt's smiths, who converted them into timed bombs; they would start the timer after impact, set for a few seconds before detonation. They were made to destroy Germania's tanks and other larger armored targets, so they were effective at killing Neuroi as well. "Good thing we brought those extra lances along. Your Princess and her friends sure come prepared, don't they?"
"I will never be able to repay the Princess and her friends for this gift."
Minna nodded as she continued her orders.
"You will provide support while we intercept the fast unit. Do not let any units pass through you."
"You got it!" Alice assured.
Minna and Eila accelerated ahead of them to catch up to the fast unit. The greener soldiers were now alone together.
The Britannian Witch among the group flew on a Striker Unit based on her country's Spitfire Mk. IX. Her primary weapon was a Boys anti-armor rifle she used as a sniper rifle against the Neuroi. Finally, her ears and tail were that of a straight-eared Scottish fold cat. The Witch remained uneasy, even when she gained the strength to launch with the other girls.
"Miyafuji, Alice, M-Miss Izetta," Lynette stuttered to gain their attention. "To tell you the truth, I was scared."
"I was scared, too, Lynn-san," Yoshika shared her feelings. "But I was even more scared about doing nothing at all."
Lynette nodded to the Witch. To not do anything at all…perhaps, there was truth to her words. But there was another matter she wanted to ask.
"Um, Miss Izetta," she contacted the White Witch to her surprise. "Sorry, but Alice said that there are some things you could not do. Your Princess also said something about using your magic? What did she mean by that?"
"I…"
Before Izetta could answer, Minna's voice broke within the intercom.
"Heads up! The Neuroi are approaching!"
On their three, they sighted a fleet of enemy ships approaching their position. They were composed of flying wings and gunship units, which came in overwhelming numbers but made Alice's blood boil even more.
"Alright! Time to take them out!"
"Bishop, Miyafuji," Minna called to the other Witches. "I need you two to help take down the fast one. You let Alice and Izetta handle the rest."
"R-Right!"
The two Witches broke off, leaving the two non-military girls on their own.
"Fine by us! More bad guys for us to take down! Right, Izetta?"
Alice turned to the uneasy White Witch, who faced the army of Neuroi ships that stood before them. The numbers were overwhelming, but as long as they threatened the Archduchess, that did not matter to her. The only concern was the one that she did not share with Lynette. She checked her mana pool, and the response showed that the area was stable for her to fight.
"Everyone!" Izetta lined up her lances as she turned to the alien craft.
Alice went on ahead, hoping the Neuroi ships would attack her first. She got the first strike as she threw the first two sparks, destroying one of the flying wings. Although they retaliated by firing their beams that Alice, who dodged with a barrel roll, they didn't stop their course and merely passed by the Psionic girl.
The Neuroi converged onto Izetta, who sent her lances to attack them. The enemy ships fired their beams, which varied in success. Some beams deflected thanks to the magic imbued into the lances while others shot them down. The lances were intelligent enough that some avoided the beams before hitting their targets.
Several Neuroi craft were destroyed, but the remaining continued towards the Witches, Izetta in particular. Alice swung around to down another couple of gunship-like Neuroi as a few fired more beams against her in retaliation. Many of the flying wings converged onto the White Witch, prompting her to move around in a panic, evading the beams that came after her. She sent more of her lances to attack the wings that passed by her, sending them into the channel.
Alice continued to fight off the enemy craft. Using her wind attacks, she cut through several more flying wing types and gunship units as she narrowly avoided their shots. Another beam grazed her by the gauntlet, but that did not stop her from countering with another spark against the gunship that fired it. One more flying wing flew on a collision course against her, firing a few beams at her. She responded in kind by propelling herself forward and ramming through with her fist and flames, apparently cleaving the aircraft in two.
Alice thought highly of herself as she was now getting used to fighting the Neuroi. She headed over to Izetta's location; the White Witch was still having trouble with the number of beams and ships surrounding her. She barely avoided a beam that tore through her clothing as she fired an empowered shell from her rifle into another gunship.
It looks like Witches aren't the only things attracted to her, Alice thought. As she observed, the Neuroi were almost ignoring Alice other than shooting back whenever she attacked. They seemed more focused on attacking the White Witch rather than the base. Why that was, she could never guess.
Izetta continued to avoid the beams as she navigated around the Neuroi craft. She called on more lances to destroy several more machines to get them out of the way. However, just when she was about to call another set of units, she noticed something terrible happen. Her rifle started losing its magic.
"E-EEHH!?" At random moments, Izetta found herself descending closer to the ocean, barely receiving any magic in the area. That also applied to her lances, which started plummeting to the ground.
"Izetta!" Alice caught the sight of the falling White Witch. After avoiding another volley of beams, she descended to rescue her. The enemy craft continued to fire as they nearly missed their depowered target. Two managed to get her clothes while another damaged her by the rifle, sending her spinning.
The Psionic girl used her power to throw a wave of fire and strong winds to distract the enemy force. Once the Neuroi stopped firing their beams, she rocketed towards the White Witch, catching her just before she hit the water.
"T-Thank you," Izetta could not help but appreciate her rescuer coming at a critical moment. With only her feet to propel herself, Alice carried Izetta over across the water.
"That was a close one back there," Alice commented. "You better not use your magic all at once."
Izetta shook her head, indicating that it was not the problem.
"It looks like there are some gaps in this part of the channel. My magic is not as strong as it used to be."
"I'll help get you stable for now. But after that, we have to stop them from reaching those two."
Nodding to Alice's statement, she reached out for another response. Once she got a decent amount of mana ready, she imbued her rifle and sought to recollect her lances. It wasn't long before she resumed fighting back against the Neuroi.
Yoshika and Lynette observed the battle from afar. They were ordered to stand guard, directly in front of the fast Neuroi's path, while Minna and Eila engaged. But without new orders, they took the time to observe the battle with their comrades.
"Izetta…."
"Izetta-san…"
Both just observed Izetta nearly crashing down into the channel. It was like she lost control of her magic or, considering how her rifle and lances stopped sparkling, she ran out of it. Alice had to rescue the girl before dragging her until she radiated with green energy again. Perhaps this was what the Psionic girl and Archduchess mentioned about the White Witch?
Before they could ponder more, their Commander's voice came into the intercom.
"Miyafuji, Yoshika! The Neuroi has accelerated! You're the only ones we can rely on. Take it down now!"
During their pursuit, Minna and Eila tailed behind the enemy Neuroi. Because the craft was unusually fast and close to the water, hit-and-run tactics were not an option. Therefore, they had to get behind and match the unit's speed. But after doing what looked like significant damage to the Neuroi, it suddenly disengaged its lower section. Besides getting distracted by the ejected rear half, the frontal half accelerated way beyond the Witches' top speed.
It was now up to Lynette and Yoshika to take it down. Lynette panicked over their orders but proceeded fire at the enemy craft. However, not only did the Neuroi avoid her shots, but she fired sloppily.
"It's no good! I can't hit it!"
"Your powers are like that of Izetta's," Yoshika reminded the girl. "You can move your shots as she can!"
"It's taking all I have just to fly! I can't!"
"Don't worry! If you're good during training, then you'll do fine here!"
"But…"
Lynette did not except Yoshika's next move, who swooped under her. She rested underneath the Britannian Witch, grabbing both legs and resting her back under her crotch. Lynette no longer felt herself moving, although the position was disturbing for her.
"I'll keep you stable," Yoshika assured her Witch comrade, who blushed out of her mind. "You can focus on shooting now, right?"
The Britannian girl was too embarrassed to answer, but continuous Neuroi beams diverted her attention. Alice and Izetta continued to intercept the enemy force; the former threw two sparks at another flying wing, and Izetta destroyed three more craft with her lances.
"Don't worry about us!" Alice called out to them in the intercom. "We still got it from here!"
But then, a continuous rain of gunfire came from the side. The rest of the 501st joined the two girls as they intercepted the large fleet.
"We'll continue to divert the enemy force," Mio said after listening in on Lynette and Yoshika's conversation. "You just focus on the target, understand?"
"R-Roger!"
Both of the recruits returned to the task at hand. With all worries cleared, Lynette focused all of her attention on confronting the Neuroi.
If I can predict the Neuroi's future position after evading and aim there, the Witch could do more than control her shots. Although it was out of instinct rather than an ability like Eila's, she could accurately predict a target's trajectory with the next few moments. Of course, she needed to get the craft to move around first.
"Miyafuji, shoot with me!" Lynette called to Miyafuji below, who aimed her weapon at the machine. If she could get someone to create diversionary fire, it will allow her to get a better read on the enemy's flight pattern. Now she needed to focus…
"Now!"
At her signal, Yoshika fired her machinegun, prompting the Neuroi to evade. By obtaining the enemy craft's flight pattern, Lynette responded with several shots from her anti-armor rifle. With every shot, she manipulated their trajectory as if they homed in on their target. The first few grazed the Neuroi by the side, causing it to swerve. The next shot after was a more direct hit, sending it barreling into the water. The last shot pierced through its core, shattering it into white shards.
The strong winds brought by the Neuroi blew its remains into the faces of both Witches, sending them flying backward. When the mist settled in, both Witches jerked around to see what happened. There were no signs of the enemy Neuroi, and the 501st assisted Alice and Izetta in taking care of the rest.
"Target destroyed," Minna confirmed. "You did it!"
"We did it?" When Lynette realized that she got her first kill, she jumped for joy by hugging her friend below. "We did it, Miyafuji! We did it!"
Lynette's celebration caused Miyafuji to lose her balance. Both girls spun out of control as they plunged into the water.
"Miyafuji!"
"L-Lady Bishop!"
Mio flew alongside Izetta and Alice as the others finished off the remaining Neuroi craft. The two recruits burst from the water and laughed together over the incident. The other three girls flew over to lend them a hand.
"I think you should wait until you're on the shore before you start celebrating, right, Major?"
That was the first time Alice got her rank right. At least that was the one she knew, and one of the more important ones at that. Major Sakamoto laughed alongside the other two Witches still in the ocean.
"I'm glad that everyone made it okay."
The two girls nodded as they grabbed Mio and Izetta's hand. Lynette felt a little blush as the White Witch pulled her above the water. It wasn't long before the sergeants could restart their Striker Units and continued flying.
"Mission accomplished, everyone," Minna congratulated those present. "All personnel return to base."
"Yes, ma'am!"
With the crisis averted and the base secure, all the girls headed back for a debriefing.
Of the girls on the base, Lynette was the most pleased. Not only did she accomplish more than ever, but she gained new friends along the way. She couldn't help but congratulate the ones who supported her on the runway.
"Alice, Miyafuji, thank you for everything. It's because of you that I was useful to someone."
The Psionic girl patted the Britannian Witch by her head.
"What are you talking about? You did this all yourself!"
Lynette shook her head, both in objection and to get her hand off. Each of the three girls had their fair share of supporting her, but she had to thank the youngest of the three.
"If it weren't for Miyafuji, I wouldn't have done anything useful!"
"It's Yoshika," the newer recruit told her, leaving her confused for the moment. "We're friends, aren't we? You can call me Yoshika-chan!"
"In that case, you can keep calling me Lynn-chan!"
Both girls chuckled together as the Britannian Witch hugged her new friend, her breasts pressing on her face and suffocating her.
Meanwhile, Alice caught a glimpse of a little rodent creature she hadn't seen for a long time.
"Alice-sama, is that you? Thank Paradox, I found you."
Tipler hopped over with his two feet, accompanying the Archduchess by her side.
"What are you talking about, Tipler? I was looking for you the other day!"
"The boat made me seasick, and you already left before I could reach you," Tipler placed his hands on his stomach to show it still happening. It was the first time he ever rode on a boat, and he was a small creature, so his stomach churned more than a human's. Fine and Bianca took her to nearby veterinarian upon reaching the shore, despite the personnel there being oblivious as to what they were treating. "Goodness, you bring a lot of trouble."
"Well, I…"
While Alice was left to contend with the Murlock, the Archduchess sighed with relief upon encountering the battered and tattered White Witch.
"Thank goodness, Izetta."
"Sorry, Archduchess," he apologized, still holding onto her torn dress. She only received a pat on the cheek, causing her to blush.
"I'm glad you're safe. That's all that matters."
After noticing the White Witch, and giving Yoshika some time to breathe, Lynette ran off to greet her next new friend. Or perhaps, virtually, she was her late relative.
"Oh, Sister Izetta! I wanted to talk to you!"
"S-Sister!?" That word made Izetta jump, which stopped Lynette from grabbing her hand.
"Don't you like being called a sister?"
"N-No, it's not, but-"
"Then you can call me Sister Lynette!"
"I…I…"
Izetta was left speechless. Her face went red as she looked away to Fine, who only gave a soft laugh.
"It can't be helped."
"You girls did well out there," Minna stepped in. "For that, I am grateful for you."
"I-I am unworthy of your gratitude!"
As Izetta bowed before the commander of the 501st, she missed the other Witches approaching her.
"Ah, so this is the rumored Weisse Hexe girl that Lucchini talked about," Shirley came in, still holding her Browning machinegun. "Never thought the Queen of Witches would be so submissive."
"Why are you talking about her like that!?" The Galian Witch among exclaimed among the group. "She isn't that type of girl!"
"M-Miss P-Perrine?"
Izetta stuttered for the moment. Mio turned to the pale girl, curious as to what she meant.
"Is there something you want to say, Perrine-san?"
It was already too late when the Galian Witch realized her mistake. Now all the other girls, especially Francesca, inquired more about her interest in the White Witch.
"Don't tell me, you have an eye for someone else other than the Major, don't you?"
"N-Nothing! It's nothing!"
"Miss Clostermann," Izetta wanted to talk to her but was chased away instead.
"There's nothing out there between us two! Just leave me alone!"
The pigheaded girl stomped away, leaving Izetta and Fine pandering and the other Witches even more curious. What exactly was their relationship? No one else knew.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Minna cut in before facing the two younger Witches. "Miyafuji, Bishop, you did a good job. However, I need to see you two this afternoon."
That turned the girls' attention away from Perrine and back to the greenhorns of the unit. Even Yoshika was confused over the matter.
"Is something wrong, Minna-san?"
"No, but there is something we must discuss now that it has come this. Fine…"
The Archduchess nodded in compliance. Although Izetta did not have to come along, they both knew that this was inevitable. Even though they were not observed by human enemies, discounting the Neuroi, they did not expect it to be so soon.
"A meeting with the Commander?" Erica gave a smug grin.
"Maybe they're getting some time off?" Shirley joked.
"Or maybe they're getting scolded for falling into the water," Francesca teased.
"That is nothing of your concern," the commander said with a sharp tongue before facing her second-in-command for the unit. "Major Sakamoto, please escort Izetta and the others back to the base. Lieutenant Barkhorn and I will handle everything from here."
"As you say, Minna-san," the Major complied before ordering the team. "Everyone, head back to the hangar this instant!"
"Roger!"
The majority of the 501st went on ahead and followed Mio's lead. It wasn't long before Yoshika and Lynette were alone with Minna, Gertrud, and the other guests not belonging to the unit. Yoshika swore she could see the Lieutenant's cold eyes gazing on Yoshika.
"Minna-san, what's going on?" Miyafuji broke the silence as if the commander wanted her to speak first. "Did we do something wrong?"
"Commander Wilcke," Lynette spoke next, believing she was the one at fault. "If it's about not getting up until late, I can explain."
"This has nothing to do with you," Minna assured them before turning away. "This is about Miss Izetta."
"Izetta-san?" the young Fuso Witch also turned to the redhead, who displayed a face of guilt.
"Coming to think of it," Lynette recalled, "She had trouble with flying during the battle and needed Alice to pick her up."
The two Karsland Witches nodded in agreement. It was something that they already knew, which now became much more comfortable to explain.
"Please follow me, and we shall discuss this matter personally."
The two young Witches followed their superiors as did their guests of Eylstadt. Only Alice and her Murlock friend stayed behind, but they already knew where this was heading.
"Guess the secret's out."
"Alice-sama?"
"Izetta had problems during the battle this morning. Those two must have both seen her struggling and requiring me to get her back afoot."
"So that means," Tipler came to the same conclusion as Alice nodded.
"They know the secret, too, about Izetta's power."
"Then it won't be long before the rest also know."
Alice remained silent over the matter. There was nothing they could do for now. After all, they were still civilians in the eyes of the 501st. They had no say in the manner. Besides, the Psionic girl had something else to discuss.
"Tell me, Tipler. Is there someplace you'd like to go?"
"What are you saying, Alice-sama?" Tipler jumped over such an unusual statement.
"I mean, once we finish off the Vilag and save the world. Is there something you want to do after this is all over?"
"Why are you asking such questions?"
"Because the commander told me," Alice explained, recalling her words before her battle. "That I need something to protect. Otherwise, fighting the Vilag and saving the world isn't worth anything. Can you believe something like that?"
"Well, I," Tipler had nothing to say. Just like Alice, the Murlock never give it any thought. He was only tasked to help one of two girls and ensure that they saved the world. The question of what to do next was never part of his master's instructions.
"I don't know what she's talking about, but it's not like I'm not going to find out. Wherever I go is for me to decide, and that goes for you, once this is all over."
"It is as you say, Alice-sama."
Perhaps what Alice should have said was the reverse, asking where she wanted to go rather than Tipler, who was supposed to be her subordinate. It's not like she had any time to think about it either. After all, they're on a mission and have to fight their way to the very end.
Night had filled the Britannian sky. Perhaps it was because the islands were so high up the latitude, they experienced a longer daytime or nighttime than usual. During the summer or spring, it became more balanced, though increasingly longer or shorter every day.
However long the daytime was meant more or less sleep time for Sanya, who patrolled in her black Striker Unit based on Orussia's MiG 60. Her black cat ears scanned the area for any enemies that decided to attack. The Neuroi were known to come out at night, and no one wanted to be caught sleeping.
Of course, the Neuroi was not the only enemy that would dare to attack at night. Ever since the rise of Germania, there were fears of them coming in with an invasion force that could threaten the island. Currently, Orussia and Germania signed a non-aggression pact years before the latter's invasion of other countries. However, Orussia remained wary of their neighbor just like their Suomus ally. Suomus was more open against Germanian attack, but Orussia was a different matter. Should she engage the enemy force, the Orussian military will deny any involvement unless somehow, the non-aggression pact was broken.
Sanya remained as a scout, attacking only the Neuroi and warning over a Germanian invasion should that occur. She checked her Fliegerhammer, a four-barreled rocket launcher that belonged to the Karsland resistance movement, which was her only means of defense besides her magic shield. She did one last scan over the area, both with her eyes and Magic Antennas, to sense any hostile activities. So far, her nocturnal eyes saw nothing unusual, and her radar abilities came clean.
"Nothing else to observe."
It was probably the last lap of her patrol. She already found herself tired, and nothing came up this entire night. Only music stations from Britannia's radio towers and traffic from the airbases came into her ears. And then…
"Ekk," Sanya cringed over what sounded like static in her ears. Because her ears were sensitive to electronic signals, it made sense that her ears were in pain.
"W-What?"
She hesitated for the moments jerking around for any unusual activity. She honestly had never experienced this kind of activity through her ears, as if they were going to rupture. Was this the Neuroi's doing? Or was it Germania's?
When she found nothing in the sky, Sanya descended to the ground. With the clouds in their way, it was possible that enemies would sneak under her from the bottom. It was a quick search for any moving shadows, but again, nothing came up. Still, it was something she couldn't just let slide.
"Sleepy," the Orussian Witch yawned as she eased her guard and returned to Dover. She decided to write a report for now and leave the rest to Minna. At the very least, it was better than not reporting this at all and being reprimanded for it later.
What she didn't realize was the source of the electronic disturbance. Within the distance, but under the clouds where the Witch couldn't see, an electrical storm sparked by the water. It was brief and lasted only for a few seconds, but it was enough to leave something behind. Drifting in the channel was a humanoid figure far too big to be an actual human. It resembled more like a machine, which had runes and lines that should glow. The machine was out of power for now, but it would not take long for someone to discover it. It was just a matter of when, and a question of how.
And that concludes the episode.
Next episode, I will introduce the following work from the roster. While there's a clue here, it'll be a while since it doesn't officially appear until the second part of the next episode.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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