Chapter 45: The White Death's Return
(Day 11 of the 6th Grail War)
"Genghis Khan, I have killed 7 of your Generals, but none of their deaths will give me the satisfaction of cleansing you from my land." The air chilled, snow covered the buildings and roads, and the wind howled with Simo Häyhä's growing strength. He channelled the will of the Finnish people, and the frigid strength of his homeland, as he stood proud on Finnish soil.
"I should have finished you Assassin. That was my mistake."
"Your mistake was, and is, that you chose to invade Finland. You are not the first though you will be the last," Simo Häyhä cocked his rifle and fired again.
The bullet deflected off Genghis Khan's skin. He raised his scimitar and leaped towards Simo Häyhä's position, determined to kill him for sure this time.
Aasaa did not witness the rest of the battle, as he and Hou Yi fled the scene.
"Simo Häyhä, the White Death. Nothing will stop him from defending his country," Hou Yi remarked. Aasaa agreed with him as they retreated to recuperate.
Another group of Finnish soldiers arrived to see Simo Häyhä and Genghis Khan engaged in combat. Mongolian warriors entered the fray to aid Genghis Khan.
"Right, like what the other unit said. Those with the armour are bad, and what of the guy in white?" said one of the Finnish soldiers.
"I am Simo Häyhä. By the work of a miracle, I have returned from the grave to fight for you. I fight for Suomi." Simo Häyhä introduced himself to the soldiers. He parried Genghis Khan with his combat knife before jumping backwards to get enough distance to shoot at him.
"What are we waiting for? Shoot the enemy!" The Finnish soldiers opened fire, slaying Genghis Khan's warriors. While Genghis Khan himself enjoyed invulnerability, he let out a frustrated roar as he saw his men collapse under heavy fire.
Simo Häyhä put himself between Genghis Khan and his fellow soldiers, knowing only he could take him.
The Finnish soldiers set up a machine gun position, and gunned down hundreds of Mongolian warriors as they advanced to aid Genghis Khan. Simo Häyhä let loose shot after shot on Genghis Khan. He cursed, as he had no way to hurt Genghis Khan.
Genghis Khan gave the order for his men to unleash more trebuchet projectiles. The Finnish soldiers ducked for cover as their positions collapsed under the pelting of boulders of rubble. Simo Häyhä activated his Presence Concealment, sneaked past Genghis Khan, and killed those operating the siege weapons. Genghis Khan retreated to stop him from disabling his siege weaponry. He flushed with anger, and barrelled down on the saboteur with the force of a sledge hammer.
Another wave of Mongolian warriors emerged to help Genghis Khan. They tried unsuccessfully to fight the Finnish soldiers, who held firm, aim striking true, inspired by Simo Häyhä's valiant effort to stop Genghis Khan.
Reinforcements for both sides of the conflict entered the area. On one end, Finnish soldiers and more tanks gathered to break Genghis Khan's line. On the other, hundreds of Mongolian cavalry and archers. In between them fought Simo Häyhä and Genghis Khan, locked in perpetual combat.
Simo Häyhä disengaged and landed in-front of the Finnish army. Genghis Khan returned to his warriors, taking the frontal position. He suggested they open fire, the air of experience he exuded, the mark of a war hero, persuaded the commanders of the Finnish soldiers to issue the order.
Genghis Khan and his army made their charge against a hail of gunfire and explosives. The impact of bullets chipped the ground, sending sprays of sand into the air, ringing the ears of those nearby. The stink of burning buildings and flesh hung in the cold air. Both sides strived on, unfazed by the scents and sounds of war. They thrived on the battlefield, seeking to rule it. The fighting continued for hours.
(Day 12 of the 6th Grail War)
It was now an hour before dawn. Simo Häyhä had fought with every fibre of his being to hold off the enemy. Though not the actual commander of the army, the soldiers recognized his battlefield prowess and looked up to him for courage and inspiration. He laid waste to his foes with a machine gun, borrowed from the Finnish soldiers as the proper counter, instead of a sniper rifle, to swarms of enemies. Speaking of which, the dead Mongolian warriors did not leave behind corpses on death, instead fading away just like how a Servant would when slain. The soldiers recognized this, acknowledging that they fought the supernatural. Nevertheless, and much to Simo Häyhä's surprise, they held the lines, putting up a relentless display of resistance despite injuries and exhaustion. In them, Simo Häyhä saw the same fervour he and his fellow men had when they defended their country in the Winter War. It pleased him to know that even generations after the Winter War, the Finnish Army still had the resilience and spirit to fight against insurmountable odds. Every inch the Mongolian warriors gained cost them 10 times the losses on the Finnish side. No one could have asked for a better, more determined army. Simo Häyhä's heart swelled with pride as the fifth wave of Mongolian warriors broke like twigs against the potent marriage of concentrated gun fire and a thwarting labyrinth of strategically placed rubble, barbed wire and trenches. Watching the remnants of the wave flee from them, the soldiers cheered and regrouped for the next wave. In their triumphant cooperation, Simo Häyhä found the connection and camaraderie he longed for since he returned to life. Though the soldiers here were over a hundred years younger than him, they could never be closer, united by the struggle of war, and the common goal to protect their homeland.
"I tire of your games. Let me finish you once and for all!" Genghis Khan said, ordering another salvo from his trebuchets, now operational again.
Simo Häyhä warned his fellow soldiers to duck for cover. Despite this, there were still casualties sustained as boulders of stone and ice crashed into them. Recovering from the onslaught, they readied their weapons.
Genghis Khan observed his enemy making preparations for a defence. He gave his troops the order to halt, to draw them out. The fight died down, and an uneasy calm set in. After a period of relative peace, Simo Häyhä's regained the use of his White Death, which required him to not currently be in combat. He used his battlefield experience to predict Genghis Khan's next attack, and prepared his Noble Phantasm.
Genghis Khan used the time to gather a massive force of calvary. Now he had the power to break through. Meanwhile, Simo Häyhä kept himself away from combat, remaining in Presence Concealment to use his White Death, waiting for the opportune moment.
Undaunted by the rumble of hooves of next wave, the Finnish soldiers opened fire. Mongolian warriors to faded away after taking too much damage. However, they this cavalry charge dwarfed the previous ones as over a thousand warriors swarmed them in a shredding wave of destruction. Despite sending a large chunk of the invading force to their graves, the Finnish soldiers retreated, giving ground, as their positions got overrun. Simo Häyhä saw the perfect moment. The enemy overextended, already locked in combat with the Finnish army. They charged straight into a trap.
"White Death."
Harsh snow enveloped both armies. The snowstorm did not hinder the Finnish soldiers. Inside, they could still see, and did not suffer any effects from the cold They pressed their new-found advantage and crushed their Mongolian attackers. The turn of the tide caught the Mongolian warriors off-guard. They did not see their deaths coming as the bitter cold and blinding snow storms battered them, concealing the Finnish soldiers who fired murderous shot after shot at them.
"Flail Of God," Genghis Khan managed to deploy, ending the snowstorm. It was too late for his warriors though, as their corpses lay in the ice.
He then unleashed his Sole Ruler Of The Plains, crushing a group of Finnish soldiers. The Finnish soldiers retreated, certain they could not match Genghis Khan himself. Simo Häyhä warned them numerous times over the course of the battle that Genghis Khan himself was invulnerable and extremely dangerous. Thus, the order to retreat did not come out of the blue, and they made haste.
Simo Häyhä held strong against Genghis Khan's bludgeoning attacks. He kept Genghis Khan's attacks at bay with a mixture of dodges and parries. Though smarting with wounds, he continued to press on. Each passing second in combat meant more time for his people to escape.
"What's wrong, Khan? Are you scared to face the hero of this land?" Simo Häyhä taunted. He turned to see the morning sun's rays are beginning to light up the sky. Dawn arrived.
"Enough. You have earned my ire," Genghis Khan said. "Dragon Of The Golden Horde!"
The Dragon arrived. It approached Simo Häyhä cautiously, remembering him.
"Want more of this?" Simo Häyhä called out, raising his rifle with rounds that contained mana-disrupting energies.
The Dragon kept its distance and spewed globules of molten iron. They crashed on the ground, charring it. Smoke came from the mixture of iron and tarmac, filling the air with a nauseating smell. The Dragon unleashed a torrent of iron right at Simo Häyhä, who dodged it. The molten iron flew past him, burning its way through a building behind. It collapsed soon after, as the molten iron ate away at its support beams.
In actuality, the flow of mana in Simo Häyhä's veins ran dry. His strength reached its end, and the sniper rifle weighed heavy in his weakening hands. His legs deprived of swiftness and his eyes lost their courageous glint. He disengaged one last time, and laid down his weapons before Genghis Khan. He did nothing but watch his irate foe approach him, at peace, since he did his best. He even found the gall to smile, folding his arms, daring him to get closer.
Genghis Khan remained silent. He simmered with rage at what appeared to be mockery. Regardless, he kept it in check, and decided to approach Simo Häyhä with caution. Simo Häyhä's behaviour unnerved him, the tell-tale signs of a trap. He ordered his Dragon to retreat to his side.
Simo Häyhä took a few steps forward, slowly. He hid his weakness with a confident pose. Genghis Khan lifted his weapon at him, to scare him back. It created the opposite effect, as Simo Häyhä continued to advance, now only meters from him. His threat ignored, Genghis Khan moved to attack. He raised his scimitar as his Dragon coated it with molten iron, causing it to radiate a searing red light.
As the burning scimitar landed on him, Simo Häyhä's shape dissolved into bluish particles. He took one last look at the Sun, its rays shining over the landscape of his homeland and smiled.
Genghis Khan called upon his Noble Phantasm,"Sole Ruler of the Plains."
A mighty strike smashed Simo Häyhä's position, where he stood no more. Genghis Khan could make out the last expression of his foe's face, the fading smile of a man who fought bravely and died with satisfaction, having achieved all he wanted and given his all. In that way he was Genghis Khan's superior, as Genghis Khan still yearned for his impossible dream. His hollow victory finally earned, Genghis Khan summoned more troops and consolidated his grip over the area, preparing for his next move.