+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

"So yeah! We'll do our best to win, that's all!"

"Glory to the Golden Angel!"

"I know you can do it, Miss. Take that bastard down!"

"For the Imperium!"

Adelyn laughed beside Hans, who only looked at his side with a sigh. The soldiers of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, who had been slightly demoralized due to the long journey and the lack of actual combat, were now roused by the little speech from Adelyn.

It wasn't unusual. While most were members of the original 4th Holy Ygeian Regiment under Captain Strobel, the de facto leader, or at the very least, symbolic leader and heroine of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit itself was none other than Adelyn.

She had a smug grin on her face as she looked at Hans.

"I told you, they're simple to cheer up," she said.

"Of course. You're the great Angel of Justice, and you look just like it," Hans shrugged.

"Hmph. You make it sound like it's just my looks that cause it. Though I do admit, it probably does help. It's nice that my efforts there pay off."

"Sure. Just, weren't we preparing for a routine patrol?"

"Yeah…yeah," she sagged. "But I just ate. I'm a bit…"

Hans promptly dragged her off the area and the chair she used to make her speech. She protested it, but Hans continued dragging her while holding her hand straight to their parked mechs.

"We need to move," Hans said, his voice turning cold. "It's not looking good."

Adelyn, who noticed the sudden, full shift in Hans' voice, complied. Worried, she quickened her pace and spoke close to his ears.

"Not looking good? Why?"

"Is that even a question?"

"I mean, we brutalized those two. There's no actual way they can just chase us here, right?"

"Yeah, but again, I don't think it'll be as simple as that. They know we're here. An attack can happen at any point."

Adelyn followed him fully to their mechs. Alizée, who was sitting lazily on top of Adelyn's mech stood up, a bright smile growing on her face as she waved at the two.

"Sir Hans! Lady Adelyn, I found a cute—"

"Why are you holding a frog? That might be dangerous!"

Adelyn rushed like an extremely worried parent, while Alizée yelped, jumping down her mech, and running away while holding the frog protectively.

"I named him Bubby! You can't take him away!" Alizée shouted, sticking her tongue out cutely until Adelyn caught her.

"Let me just look at the color first. What if its skin is poisonous? Ah, you're going to make me die of a heart attack!"

Hans on the other hand, checking a copy of his map briefly, climbed his mech. He watched as the two bickered, with Adelyn asking where Alizée would even keep the silly frog she captured. The little girl, on the other hand, was insistent, calling the frog her 'greatest cutest friend' and refusing to 'let him free'.

Man…we never had these distractions in the Army.

Well, the only distractions he remembered were those comics, magazines, cards, and…well, okay, they did have a lot. Still, these were full battlefield conditions. He wasn't a fan of them being too carefree when Injustice could be lurking around.

Then again, unlike him, they were people who didn't fully dedicate their lives to war. It made sense, in a way. In fact, he didn't want the two to ever end up like him. So he just watched until the two finished, with Alizée tearfully letting the frog free, before hugging Adelyn.

"Now, now. One day, when this war's over, I'll get you a nice dog or a cat when we have a home of our own," Adelyn promised.

"Really, Lady Adelyn?" Alizée asked as she buried her face on Adelyn's uniform.

Naturally, Adelyn smiled.

"Of course."

"But will Sir Hans permit that?"

"W-who told you I'll live with Adelyn?" Hans asked, awkwardly. Then he shifted subjects quickly. "Anyway, come on, we really have to move out of here now. Patrols. Now."

"Sure, sure," Adelyn nodded, going for her mech, followed by Alizée from behind. Hans too entered his mech, initialized all his systems, and turned on his comms.

"Alright. Back to work."

He noticed her breathing deeply.

"You good out there, Adelyn?"

"Yeah. Just…back to work. Nothing, I was just reminded by all the people waiting for me to kill Injustice."

"Yeah…"

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"It's why I'm trying to act more relaxed I guess. I can't do anything yet…"

"Well, the best we can do is patrols, but to be honest, even I doubt it's much. We really can't fight without the rest of the 1st Corps."

"We'll see then."

"Right. All systems are green. Let's go—"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shot cracked in the afternoon sky. It came from one of the mountains on the westernmost positions held by the 1st Corps.

Hans turned his turret to observe it with his sights. The first shot didn't stop there. It was followed by another. Then another.

So he followed my recommendations? That fast?

More importantly…

"Hans! Gunfire and shots ahead of us!"

"I know. Let's plug the gap before it appears!"

+++

+++ Captain Ebert Strobel +++

"Come on, you bastards! Give 'em hell, or they'll get here!"

"We're on it, Captain!"

Ebert lowered his spyglass as the sound of his guns joined the battle. Each of his falconets was now in full action, both A, B, and C batteries, which were conveniently placed at the center of the frontlines.

With new and enhanced 'anti-demon' canister shells and cannonballs, each shot coming from his guns left a powerful impression on the lesser demons charging in on them.

There were a lot of them. Wolves, bugs, reptiles, and even some humanoid ones, all of them using their powerful magical attacks that terrified and overwhelmed the foxholes occupying the front-most positions.

Normally, these demons once murdered entire villages and towns on their own. Now, however, humanity has regained its footing. No more were they using unrefined, mundane, and weak munitions.

No, each shot from their muskets was now enchanted. Each shot from their numerous guns was now causing horrendous, and heinous magical damage to the demons ahead of them. No matter who they were, humanoid or monstrosity, they bled.

The toll on them was heinous, and it made Ebert grin, as each successive shot from his guns continued.

In moments, he watched as they overrun the first defense lines. Musketeers, surprised by the sudden attack, all began to flee, fearful for their lives. However, the demons barely had any chance to start the slaughter. They soon funneled themselves into open kill zones.

In elevated positions, where his unit and other units from the 1st Ygeian Expeditionary Corps had their artillery prepared, devastating volleys after volleys were sent. Arcs of cannonballs and rains of small enchanted balls from their canister shells streaked through the fields, causing many of the lesser demons to tumble and fall.

Many of them even died, their bodies melting at the sheer firepower they were now facing.

A runner behind him ran to his observation post, saluting him, before handing him a letter.

"From General Kohler, sir!" the man on horseback said, before rushing away, clearly carrying multiple letters with him.

Ebert gave the letter a quick read, understanding the general's orders. 'Take back our positions', he clearly said, and that exactly was what Captain Strobel wanted by now.

The frontmost positions took a beating, but even with demons capturing their first lines, they were now badly weakened. In other sections of the defense line, the counterattack had already begun. Soldiers rose from their trench lines as the artillery silenced, firing their muskets and combat wands.

Spells and lead rained on the advancing demons, some of them cowering in the foxholes and trench dugouts that they had captured, their magical power clearly drained at having to heal themselves so badly.

That only served as a trap, as advancing musketeers closed in, and began throwing their grenades at the positions their fallen comrades once occupied. Ebert was impressed. They managed to nail the tactics that Hans, Jonas, and he were creating.

"Give them the signal," Ebert shouted to his officer. "We're joining in on the counterattack at once!"

+++

+++ Captain Jonas Weibel +++

The center and right flank of the battlefield seemed to be doing well. Not so much over here, in the left, or, the western flank of the combat area.

Jonas knew what he and the few thousand dug-in troops were facing here. That distant, demonic mech. It was definitely Injustice himself. And he was already laying havoc on them.

"Quickly!" Jonas shouted to one of the artillery officers as he rode through the active battlefield on horseback. "Pull out all of our artillery into cover! They cannot possibly counter that!"

"But sir, our orders are—!"

"I am from the 1st Anti-Demon Unit. I tell you now, that if you do not give your men the signal to pull back into cover, you will not have any guns by daybreak!"

Jonas got out, vaguely seeing the flag bearers behind him waving their colors that signaled the artillery to pull themselves out of trouble. It was quite a lucky thing that Hans and Ebert emphasized in their tactical recommendations, that dug-outs for their guns always include an easy access for pulling it back into a ditch behind it.

As Jonas rode to rejoin his cavalry, all of them battlemages, he could see that most of the guns were now pulling back, although many of them had been hit by Injustice's powerful rounds already.

"Gentlemen!" he called out to his mages, all of them already forming into their respective platoons and teams. "We're gonna need to plug the gap until Captain Wittenstein and Lieutenant Hoffman reach this place."

He pulled out his saber and aimed it at Injustice's direction.

"So ready your spells now! We'll meet him head-on and prevent a collapse. Onwards!"

+++

+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

"It's him! It's him!"

"Calm yourself. Shit, are you manifesting your ideal again?"

"Partially…"

Hans worriedly looked at Adelyn's mech as it glowed, transforming slowly. He could hear in her voice's tone, that she might, might, do a drastic action out of nowhere. He didn't want that, but she seemed very triggered at the moment.

"Just wait. I'm searching for a good opening. He seems like he hasn't spotted us yet."

"He's already tearing through their lines!"

"I know, but casualties are normal in a battle. We can't expose ourselves at the wrong moment. Let the infantry over there take his attention."

Adelyn seemed like she was barely concealing her rage, while Hans composed himself, watching as a group of cavalrymen scattered through the fields while firing spell after spell at the mech, with bad results.

Each shot from Injustice seemed to be so powerful, that their forces were melting away. Only the guns from the mountain on their western flank were keeping him at bay, as it seemed that he didn't have enough elevation to properly target them.

But…

Wait.

A sudden strike pierced through Injustice's armor from the center. Guns from the 1st Corps seemed to have repositioned themselves, and they were firing shot after shot at Injustice at great ranges.

That finally took Injustice's attention.

"We have our opening! Let's go! I'll charge to keep him on his toes, you open fire and kill him, got it?"

"Got it!"

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