8 minutes until auto-play.
With the latest revelation, the entire audience was struck with confusion. Not only that their favorite hero and friend, according to this viewing at least, was going to be taken away from them but the mysterious one-armed man also. Well, not like many of them particularly cared about the latter part if push came to shove. Nevertheless, this development only served to pile more questions on the already gigantic mess of queries regarding the situation.
"My, what unexpecteeeeeed surprises!"
Roswaal was the first one to speak, which as usual worsened the mood of all the members of his camp barring that one maid. Truly, what a wholesome and inspiring camp.
"Roswaal-sama, perhaps you have more to add than just the painfully obvious?"
Otto addressed his supposed employer with clear distaste, his eyes glaring at the seemingly amused clown.
Seeing this particular scene playing out for the Od knows how many times already, Priscilla wondered to herself.
'How is this joke of a camp even remotely functional? The treasonous backer is hated by nearly all of his subjects, the figurehead is an emotionally stunted half-devil child and the one holding them all together is a traumatized do-...boy who is haunted by the vile Witch! Forget becoming rulers, mineself wouldn't trust this lot to run a bakery…'
The Vollachian Princess's frustration was somewhat shared by other candidates, albeit for different reasons. Crusch and Felt were more concerned with the dangers posed by the clown due to their lie detectors pointing out that the Lord himself was the one who ordered Elsa to attack the half-elf. Anastasia? Well, she was especially annoyed that a bunch of bumbling fools that is the "Emilia Camp" just went and wasted all the great potential that was Natsuki Subaru.
Back to the bumbling fools in question, Roswaal's face remained an amused complexion, with eyes still as hollow as they were the moment RbD was revealed.
"Suuuuuuch unwarranted hostility Otto-kun. I am meeeeeeerely commenting on what we have seeeeeen."
"Oi, if yer got somethin' ta say, out w' it!"
Garfiel barked, not willing to entertain the purple man behind him.
"It's fine, Garf. Roswaal-sama, I assure you that I am being as reasonable as I could afford to be at this moment. Again, if you have something to add to the topic, I implore you to do it in a timely manner."
"Very well." The clownish man answered without his usual quirk, instead adopting a serious tone only heard once or twice during the entire viewing section. This caught the annoyed pair of Otto and Garfiel off-guard. They were reminded that aside from appearances, Roswaal. was still an exceptionally powerful mage and commanded far more knowledge and insight than any other person in the room barring the blond spirit who didn't seem to care what was going on.
"Since the common point between Subaru-kun and Priscilla-sama's knight is their place and time of origin, I believe it is safe to assume that the entity who summoned them is the same person." Roswaal continued, his voice in monotone.
"Entity? Don't you mean the Witch?" Emilia was confused at the choice of word as were the others in the theater. Sure, mentioning her name or even title was still somewhat an uncomfortable thing to do, more so for the white half-elf than anyone else. However, the word "entity" seemed to imply something else.
"It would appear to be so, but until it is explicitly shown that it was her who was responsible, we cannot be sure who or what was the culprit behind Subaru-kun's arrival to our world..."
Eyes were widened at the clownish man's explanation. Who else would even have the power needed to drag someone from another world to theirs but the Witch of Envy? Perhaps, it was the Divine Dragon itself? Or the many Gods that were said to roam the world? The more they pondered, the less clear the picture became. Seeing the futility of thinking for answers, Crusch Karsten voiced her opinion.
"I agree with the Margrave on this matter. If there is anything we could learn from this viewing, it is that things are not what they seem. Making conclusions without strong evidence has led to both ours and Subaru-sama's demise."
"As for my thoughts on the matter, Subaru-kun being sent back along with Priscilla-sama's Knight means that either the summoner has done it themselves, or they have lost control over their own power. There could be other possibilities, but those two are the most likely."
At the Court Mage's explanation, everyone went silent over the implications. Neither of those circumstances was favorable toward their goal of...trapping the poor boy in their world? Well, that could have been worded better, but they were sure he wouldn't mind that anyway, they hoped. The first one was somewhat simpler, just a matter of finding the summoner and convincing them not to send their favorite raven-haired teddy bear back. The other case is much more troublesome, since who or what would cause a being who could manipulate dimensional feats to lose their power? Especially if the being in question was the Witch of Envy herself?
"So that's why…" Otto realized.
"You didn't want to believe it was the Witch who did it..." Emilia followed
"Because it would be easier otherwise..." Rem finished.
"Indeeeeeed." Roswaal had returned to his 400 years out-of-fashion speech quirk, assuming it was ever in style in the first place. However, that was then one of his last methods to remain composed as his mind was crumbling in search for a way to reach his desired future. 'How detestable', the mage thought of himself as he still wanted to reach his goal despite the cruel nature of the boy's power.
Witnessing this behavior from her master, Ram could only sigh tiredly. She saw through the clown's facade and knew that he was growing more desperate every passing moment.
"For now, we can only hope that the viewings will provide more answers than questions. Since the useless man over there can't provide any." She concluded the little discussion before the viewing resumed.
Al just shrugged at the oni's remark, he was tired of all the strange occurrences around him recently and wasn't going to spend any more energy clapping back, especially when it was the pink-haired maid.
Playing...
The satellite display appears again with the SAS insignia spinning for a couple of seconds before changing into the USMC's, coupled with guitar riffs and shit, because M'rica.
"What is it now?" Anastasia was the one complaining at another change in setting, which was somewhat surprising since she was more or less an advocate for change and progress. Maybe things were moving too fast even for her.
"USMC?"
"Ooooh... this is going to be fun." Al cheered as he realized what the name meant and who were the ones behind it.
"The United States Marine Corps, in fact."
"Mareen-Core?" Petra once again struggled to pronounce the words. 'What is it with Subaru's world and strange names?' She fumed in silence.
"Subaru...told you about this group, Beako-chan?" The half-elf princess hesitantly asked, feeling dejected that it was another piece of her knight's world that he did not share with her.
"Of course he did, they are definitely his favorite warriors, I suppose." The Great Spirit huffed with pride once more.
"They are, in my contractor's words, 'certified badasses'. The Marines are a branch of the United States' military, four divisions strong, trained for rapid deployment anywhere around the world and to fight in any environment, in fact." Beatrice recounted all the details Subaru told her about the Marines and their feats.
"Is that so, but why would they be a different branch instead of being integrated into the regular army?" Crusch mused, the description matched that of an elite fighting force. However, with only four divisions, was it necessary for them to be an entirely new branch? The Karsten duchess understood all the logistical and paperwork issues that came along with such distinction.
"That's...uh...a long story." Al once again utilized his favorite move as it had worked well so far. Not that he was very well-versed in American Military history anyway.
Some members of the audience were more receptive to the changes.
"Whatev', if Cap'n says they're baddasses, Imma just assume so." The Golden Tiger was thrilled at the chance to see awesome warriors who actually fight and now murder helpless civillians .
"I like the music! It kinda makes me excited." Mimi expressed her delight.
"Seems like we're changin' perspective once more, just like with the President before." Ricardo commented on the matter, trying to ground the children's excitement.
"I'd prefer that we follow Barusu, the sooner we get answers, the better." Ram, ever the agreeable goddess she was, did not want to spend more time watching someone she had no connection with.
"Rem agrees with Nee-sama, he might be in danger!" Rem instantly agreed with her sister's opinion.
"Don't worry Rem-san, he got into the flying metal thing. Natsuki-san should be safe. Right?" Otto made his attempt to reassure everyone. All of his previous tries had failed one way or another, maybe this time it woul-
"Not necessarily, he was still inside enemy territory. His helicopter could be targeted and shot down." Al unintentionally crushed the green merchant's hopes with ease.
"Knowing my idiotic contractor's luck, that is probably what would happen, I suppose." Beatrice berated her contractor's apparent attraction to troubles.
"Yea that sounds like Big bro's average day." Felt agreed along with the spirit.
"Subaru-dono faces a steep path indeed." Wilhelm smiled, admiring the young boy's resolve of steel in the face of horrors.
"Hey, why is everyone bullying Subaru-sama all of a sudden?" Petra readied herself to defend the sleeping knight.
"Such is the life of Barusu."
Such was the life of Barusu, indeed.
"What is the United States though? An alliance of nations?" Anastasia steered the conversation back to the topic, hoping to learn more useful information.
"Well… in a sense yes, and no. We just call them Americans. They are one country and let's leave it at that." Al simply didn't want to explain all the differences between the States and the whole nation that was the U.S., to the dismay of the Merchant Queen.
"I see… your other self did mention something about an American invasion?" Julius continued his lady's questioning.
"Hell if I know, man. I am barely keeping up with what's going on. I can't even believe that I can speak Russian that well." The one-armed man was as clueless about the entire ordeal as everyone else and wanted nothing more than to be left alone, maybe with some popcorn.
The satellite tracks a fleet of U.S. carriers launching Black Hawk helicopters to invade a city along the Persian Gulf. A TV station is pinpointed in the middle of the city.
"By the dragon!" Crusch was shocked at the number of ships present.
"Just how many ships are there?" Tivey shouted, not believing what the orange furball was seeing.
"Hey, the American Navy isn't the largest in the world for nothing." Al chuckled with an amused tone.
"Funnily enough, the U.S. Navy also has the second largest air force in the world. Behind the U.S. Air Force itself."
"Huh, nice bit o' trivia…" Anastasia whispered about the voice that just rang inside her head.
"I found it difficult to believe at first, but if that is true, then these Americans are indeed as powerful as Beatrice-sama has informed us." Julius commented.
: Marines! Spotters have a possible fix on Al-Asad in a building at the west end of this town. We're gonna secure the perimeter and grab Al-Asad. Oorah? Lock and load!
"They ARE after the funny-looking man, nya." Felix's ears perked up as he recalled the name of the executioner from the previous viewing.
"But the question is why? I detest what the man and his forces had done but as far I know the conflict was purely domestic. Wouldn't an outside force attacking like this be considered an invasion?" Crusch once again the one to bring up the political sides of the situation.
"If I may, Crusch-sama." Wilhelm spoke, waiting for a nod from his lady before continuing.
"I have spent my life as a soldier and a knight, so my expertise on political matters may not be something to take pride in. But I believe from what we have heard from this Al-Asad before, it is safe to assume that this country is in an alliance with the Americans."
"I see, so they have a somewhat legit reason to come knockin'." Ricardo nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. Furthermore, if the Americans are indeed the world's most powerful, they would desire stability over everything else. So if a major shift of power happens somewhere under their influence, they would step in to keep things in order." Wilhelm continued his analysis, although he was not lying when politics wasn't something he was well versed in, he did witness similar situations happening in the many domains of Lugnica and Vollachia alike during his many campaigns in the past.
The logic was sound, thus everyone accepted Wilhelm's reasoning.
"Excellent observation, Wilhelm-sama." Julius was in awe at the explanation of the old knight. Reinhard wanted to say the same as well but settled with a genuine smile instead, something that did not go unnoticed by the old butler.
"Oorah? What does that mean?" Felt wondered about the strange sound at the end of 's briefing.
"I believe that is a war cry of sorts, Felt-sama."
"And how do ya know that? Don't tell m-"
"Actually no, Felt-sama. It is just a conclusion I made myself."
"Huh...that's...progress. Keep doing that."
"As you wish, my lady."
The satellite tracks Sgt. Paul Jackson of the U.S.M.C., 1st Force Recon in one of the Black Hawks.
["Charlie Don't Surf"]
[Day 2 - 13:45:06]
[Sgt. Paul Jackson]
[1st Force Recon Company, U.S.M.C.]
Sgt. Paul Jackson is seen in a Black Hawk carrying a task force of Marines invading a city to capture Al-Asad along with ten other Black Hawks.
"My god…"
"Yer seein' this?"
"There are ten of these flying in formation!"
"Intimidating, indeed. Any opposing force laying their eyes on this sight should be gravely concerned."
Off-shore oil platforms are seen in the distance as the aircrafts pass them and approach the shoreline.
"What are those floating buildings over there?"
"Those are oil rigs, in fact. They are buildings built for the purpose of extracting oil from the bottom of the ocean, I suppose."
"Oil ? Underwater? That doesn't make any sense." Otto was reminded of the substance that caused him quite some grief and also burned down an entire mansion.
"Those structures are massive! How do they even come up with such ideas?" The merchant Queen's eyes were beaming with stars at the oil rigs.
Striker Six-Four: Shoreline coming into view.
Cobra Pilot: Copy, Striker Six-Four.
Striker Six-Four: Feet dry in ten seconds.
Cobra Pilot: Copy.
"Consistent and instant communication are vital to coordinate such an operation." Crusch noted how much information the pilots were relaying to one another.
"Technology sure is amazing." Rem whispered.
"It also is terrifying…" so did Ram.
As they approach the docks and the city, small arms and RPG fire flared in an attempt to take down the invasion force but prove ineffective.
"Haha they can't hit squat!" Garfiel laughed at the inaccurate fire toward the helicopters.
"To be fair, it is quite difficult to hit a flying target with such speed, training or not." Reinhard voiced.
As the helicopters pass through a dry canal, a Toyota Hilux with a mounted HMG can be seen shooting at the Black Hawks.
"Some things never change…" Al smiled and felt a tinge of pride as his country's products were built to such a high standard that civilian cars could be used as war vehicles to great effectiveness.
Striker Six-Four: Taking fire here...
Cobra Pilot: Roger that. We've got RPGs down there.
More RPGs and machine gun fire attempt to shoot them down.
Striker Six-Four: Shit that was close!
Cobra Pilot: Got a visual on the target.
The Black Hawks arrive at the landing zone in the city.
Striker Six-Four: Five seconds. Standby for greenlight.
Vasquez: Down the ropes! Go go!
deploys the ropes and begins rappelling down.
"Aerial advantage is truly somethin'. Been less than a minute and they've deployed a strike force hundreds of meters if not kilometers behind enemy lines!" Anastasia was shocked at the rapid deployment time of the Marines. Her Iron Fang prided itself on its speed and quick reaction time, but this was a whole other level.
"Yep, fightin' their way through the shore woulda been a slog." Ricardo was amazed by another aspect, this method of entry could skip the frontline entirely and skip right through all the excessive fighting toward the objective.
"Strike quickly and efficiently, that could minimize casualties for both sides." Crusch concluded.
The Marines rappel down from the choppers along with Gaines and Jackson. A clear view of the city can be seen for a brief moment, revealing many run down and destroyed buildings. Multiple smoke pillars spread around the town.
"This place has certainly seen better days…" Julius mused as he took in the scene of the battered town.
"I hope the civilians have evacuated, I do not wish to witness any more senseless deaths than the bare minimum nya."
"That is...sadly not the case most of the time..." Reinhard sadly spoke.
Vasquez: 2nd squad on me to the target building! Move!
Some Marines can be seen laying barbed wire fences to block the street.
"It's impressive how fast they roll out."
"It is only expected, they are professionals, I suppose."
Marine: Move it, move it! Set up the blocking position! Let's go!
Lt. Vasquez, Jackson, Pvt. Massey and the 2nd squad move towards a building.
: There's the target building! Stack up! Breach that bitch!
"Uhm, Beatrice-sama, are you sure they are professionals?" Frederica raised her eyebrows at the language used. Sure, the kids have seen some unsightly things and here little brother's manners weren't the greatest, but she sure wouldn't want to let them be exposed to further negative habits.
They stack up at the door. Vasquez/Massey places a breaching charge on the door.
: Blow it to bits!
The charge explodes, shattering the door.
Pvt. Massey: Breaching, breaching!
Vasquez: Go go go!
Pvt. Massey and immediately enter the room and dispatch the two soldiers waiting inside.
Pvt. Massey: Clear!
Vasquez: Jackson, take point.
: Rog'
"He isn't as talkative as Subaru, is he?" Emilia compared this 'Jackson' person's rather quiet demeanor to her knight's.
"Of course only Barusu can afford to be a loudmouthed buffoon, as expected." Ram interjected with fake hostility as usual.
"To be fair, Big bro doesn't talk that much during his missions. We just had that impression since we can hear his thoughts." Felt countered the red oni's words with a more logical response.
"Yes, that was indeed the case. Wait, doesn't that mean we are intruding into his personal space?" Otto realized.
"Well...uh...it's not like we asked for it. Besides, a bit late to question that anyway?" Tivey tried to create an alibi for everyone.
"You all are hopeless, I suppose."
Jackson moves downstairs, unpins and throws a flashbang into the weapons room and peeks with his rifle after hearing a bang, identifying at least three disoriented enemies.
"A tried and true tactic." Wilhelm mused.
"Can't they just close their eyes, nya?"
"Not in a situation where a fight is decided in but mere moments. Besides, their movements were rigid and slow, showing a lack of training compared to the likes of Subaru-dono."
"Course they ain't got nothin' on Big bro! Ooraah!" Felt cheered.
"Damn right! Ooraaah!" Garfiel followed suit.
"Oorah!" and Mimi.
"OORAH! Hey, it IS fun!" Tivey finally joined.
Priscilla stared in unparalleled annoyance at the unholy circus forming right before her heavenly eyes, wishing for nothing more than to burn away these noisy insects. Al, on the other hand, gave a silent chuckle at the newly formed N.S.M.C. - Natsuki Subaru's Marine Corps.
"Nah that's a lame ass name. Let me introduce you, the Hampter Corps."
'The wha-'
"I don't know what that is, but I like the sound of it. We are now the Hampter Corps!"
Felt declared proudly like a pumped-up hamster before the entire cast, earning cheers from all the participating members of the newly formed organization, namely: Garfiel, Mimi, Tivey and Petra.
Normally, Reinhard would intervene and say something along the lines of behavior unbefitting of a Royal candidate. This time, however, he understood that genuine moments like these were in short supply. At the end of the day, within this theater Felt and the others were still small children who had to witness horrors beyond their or anyone's age for that matter. If they could have a moment of rest from the mental anguish, especially one that did not stem from Subaru's coping mechanism, the Sword Saint would not dare to stop them.
It was a sentiment shared by all the guardians present. They all looked at their respective little goofball and smiled softly.
After the moment had passed, all eyes refocused back onto the action on-screen.
Firing short bursts at the first two, quickly dashes to the pile of crates on the right for cover, allowing entry for the rest of the strike team.
"Why didn't he take out the last guy too?" Mimi asked as if blowing up everyone in the room was the natural answer in any situation.
"The enemies have started to recover from the effects of the flash, and Jackson had to allow his team to move in. If he got taken down at that narrow door, it could be catastrophic for the entire team." Julius explained.
and the other Marines storm into the room and make short work of the remaining soldiers while Jackson keeps watch over a door leading to another room on the left.
: Tangoes, left room, frag it. throws a frag grenade into the room. Panicked voices are heard and one of the soldiers inside runs out only to be shot dead instantly by Jackson.
"I know it's bad to say this, but that's just kind of funny." Otto snickered at the scene.
"Worry not Otto-kun, they got what they deserved." The other merchant backed him.
"Yep, no one's gonna feel sorry for 'em." Tivey chirped in.
"While I understand that we all despise the actions many of these soldiers may have taken, some of them could have been conscripted or forced to fight." Wilhelm's words crushed the three's joy without mercy.
"Huh, I did not consider that." Anastasia slumped back into her seat in thought.
"Still doesn't excuse what they did though." Tivey tried to defend himself.
The grenade explodes, takes a look inside and confirms.
: Clear!
The Marines once again stack up against the remaining doors.
: Jackson, flash 'em!
Jackson tosses a flashbang into the room and clears it along with the rest of the team.
"Not going to go easy on them are they?" The big wolfman laughed at how effortlessly the team cleared out the rest of the building.
: All callsigns, check the bodies. We need a positive ID on Al-Asad.
Jackson along with other Marines begin checking all the dead soldiers.
: Negative ID over here sir.
: No sign of Al-Asad here sir.
"Well, woulda be too easy to find the guy on the first try huh?" Anastasia sighed, indeed it would have been too easy.
"I thought the mission was to 'nap the guy?" Felt was confused since what is the point of securing a dead person?
"To be fair, they didn't say he had to be alive at the point of 'napping." Al nonchalantly answered.
Vasquez: Command, this is Red Dog. Target building is secure but we don't have Al-Asad, over...
goes up the ladder and exits the building before seeing two dead Marines at the door.
: Marines down!
Checking for signs of life and coming up empty, Jackson sighs and closes the eyes of his former comrades.
"This feels...familiar, somehow."
"Of course it does, it reeks of Barusu all over it."
"Hey nyaw, he's not the only one able to care about others you know."
"That's rich comin' from yer, weren't yer just mockin' Cap'n non-stop just before." Garfiel mocked the healer, still remembering the various times the catboy sneered at his Captain's suffering.
Felix could only lower his face in shame, his signature cat ears drooped signifying his inability to offer any response at the Tiger's harsh words.
"That was uncalled for, Garf." Frederica reprimanded her brother even if she fully sympathized with his reason for doing so.
"Tch. What'ves."
"Just because it was uncalled for doesn't mean he's wrong." Petra continued the chastise against the healer, she really did not appreciate how Felix insulted her savior.
"Petra-chan, do not be rude to Felix-sama as he did help Subaru-sama. Apologize, now." Frederica was stern with her demand, one that Petra did not want to comply with but had to in the end.
"I am sorry, Felix-sama." She bowed, faint anger still in her voice.
"It...it is okay, Petra-chyan. I understand." Felix accepted the apology with his eyes still glued onto the floor. Crusch did not want to see her knight like that, but he brought it upon himself and there was nothing she could do.
sees this and calls out to Jackson.
: We'll bring 'em home later, let's catch that son of a bitch, least we could do. Squad! Heads up! I just got word Al-Asad is broadcasting half a click east of here at a TV station! Leg it, hoorah!
Marines: oorah!
The Hampter Corps : OORAH!
The squad moves onto a street where a fierce firefight is unfolding between another squad of Marines and the oncoming soldiers.
Marine: Stay in cover! Fuckers got us pinned!
"Ah, it's starting to turn into a warzone." Al stated at the escalation of events prompting a large part of the cast to frown.
: Zone's too hot! Jackson, you take half the squad and secure the right flank over there. Push up and divert their fire.
: Rog'. Fireteam one, with me!
Marine: Friendly reinforcements comin' up, hoorah!
"Do they have to add that war cry to every sentence they say?"
"Eh...Well...They are quite proud of their unit and heritage."
"Besides, shouting war cries at the top of your lungs can help reduce the stress on your mind greatly. War is tough, I can tell ya that." Ricardo was also a supporter of shouting
"Oh yeah! They also eat crayons!" Al snorted out one of the more absurd myths surrounding the so-called professional warriors.
'They what now?' Otto deadpanned, trying to process what he just heard but decided not to dig further.
and his team took a detour from the main street and entered an alleyway. Sounds of gunfire and explosions still ringing loudly from the battle nearby.
"When in doubt, flank 'em."
As the squad makes their way forward, a group of Al-Asad's soldiers are also seen running down their direction, apparently not expecting to see the Marines there. They were quickly shot down.
"Huh, that was a bit careless. They were in a warzone for Od's sake."
The squad continues moving ahead until one particular building stops them, mostly because it has two RPKs sticking out of the windows reigning fire onto the Marines on the main street.
: Massey, nail 'em.
Pvt. Massey: With pleasure.
Pvt. Massey aims his M203 Grenade Launcher and fires into the window, taking out the machine gunners and likely anyone else within the room.
: Heh, never gets old.
"Well that is just convenient." Julius commented while still nothing down anything of value on-screen. He was taken aback by the fact that Subaru's world seemingly had a tool to kill anyone at any distance and at any angle.
"What can I say, we're really good at finding ways to kill each other." Al laughed as he understood what the purple knight was thinking.
"That goes for both worlds, I suppose."
"What do you mean by that, Beatrice-sama?" Ram queried.
"I may have been ignorant of the outside world for four centuries, but the nature of those who inhabit this world have surely remained stagnant, in fact. Even after the Witch tore the world asunder, you lot still somehow want to get at each other's throat instead of making it a better place, I suppose." Beatrice recalled those who came to seek her Mother's wisdom, most of them for selfish, destructive ends rather than to improve the people which they ruled.
The Great Spirit's words resonated with all inside the room. Beatrice was right, the people of their world were no less creative in ways to annihilate one another. Spells, curses, divine protections, authorities… More than that, the people within the room all plotted against one another at some point instead of truly cooperating with each other for the betterment of all.
Who were they the judge?
: Take the building, we'll have a vantage point from there.
The squad storms the building and took it with ease since all combatants inside are taken out from the 40mm grenade earlier on the third floor.
: They don't know we're here. Setup firing positions, you know what to do.
: Don't have to tell me.
Griggs sets up his M249 onto the balcony. The rest of the squad readies their rifles.
: Focus on technicals and RPGs. Alright ladies, fuck 'em up.
: Eat lead, bitches! Ooh-rah!
The Marines start firing down on unsuspecting enemies below, first the Toyota Hilux™ DsHK Machinegun, next the three to four RPG carriers, then finally the rest of the Al-Asad forces.
"An effective flank is devastating." Ricardo laughed.
"Isn't it basic tactics? They left their flank completely exposed!" Tivey was dumbfounded by the critical mistake made by the Al-Asad forces.
"They do seem untrained, like Wilhelm-sama said." Otto added.
: Cease fire! Regroup with the Lt. on the street.
The team returns to the main street, now filled with rubbles, fire, smoke, spent casings and of course, bodies. Dozens of them, some are still recognizable while others have chunks missing from them.
"War...is terrifying." Otto felt his stomach churn.
"Always was...always will." Al whispered.
"A pathetic display." Priscilla's crimson eyes glared at the bloody aftermath.
"Why can't they just work it out peacefully." Reinhard was filled with sadness and disappointment.
: Good work Marines, TV station's near. Get that jackass, and we'll be done with this hellhole. Let's move.
Marine: Heads up! Friendlies at your six!
More Marines are seen moving up behind 's squad. The attack force advances toward their objective, meeting little resistance from the few surviving enemies.
They finally reach the TV station through a parking lot.
"That's the place the leader is hiding in?"
"Well, it certainly is in better shape than the surrounding area." Julius remarked.
"What is it for anyway?"
"It's a broadcast station, remember the shiny rectangle boxes you guys see around? They are TVs, we can watch a lot of things on it, and these buildings are...eh...they supply the programs to the TV." Al attempted to give an answer but it all came out as gibberish to everyone.
"What a shoddy explanation, I suppose." Beatrice criticized. Subaru was far better at explaining these concepts, but then again, it was only expected of her chosen contractor.
"Sorry ma'am, been a long time. And also kinda tough to use words that these folks understand." Al responded with a dejected voice while scratching his helmet out of habit.
Everyone around them just decided to drop the topic.
: Target building in sight.
Marine: We've got the TV building locked down and surrounded, Sir.
: Good. Griggs, you and Hawster go around the back. The rest, get in position to breach.
: Rog'.
The team stacks up to the entrance. plants a breaching charge.
: Do it!
The breach explodes, shattering the door.
: Breaching, breaching!
: Go go go!
They move into the building. The first room is empty but soon shouts in Arabic are heard in the hallway connected to the room.
Lt. Vasquez: Multiple hostiles ahead. Stay in cover and tear 'em a new one!
The Marines fight their way through the hallway, the server room and enter the central newsroom.
: Targets! Second floor!
"Oh this doesn't look good."
"They are in an enclosed space and the enemies have the height advantage."
Marine: Fuck! RP-
The Marine's warning is cut short as a rocket strikes the ground under him, turning his legs into a gory mess of blood and torn muscles.
Most of the younger audience were shielded from the gruesome scene. Even Mini and Tivey, whose Resonance Waves were somewhat similar to explosives but their effects were, for a lack of a better word, cleaner.
"Man, I seriously feel sorry for that guy."
"Both of his legs are detached, he won't make it with the amount of blood he is losing." Felix announced without his usual accent, eyes fixated on the bleeding stumps that used to have limbs attached.
Rem was quivering, both from shock and the fact that this particular wound reminded her of the two times when she murdered and tortured her beloved hero. An arm on a chandelier, a sliced up leg on the ground - the imagery was still vivid in her mind and it would always haunt her. And his screams, his screams-
: Jesus FUCK, COVER ME!
Nearby Marines provide suppressing fire while quickly drags the now legless, screaming soldier behind cover.
Marine: SHIT, FUCK, FUCK. I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!
-were so similar to the ones her ears were receiving. Screams of pain, anguish and confusion, screams that begged for relief and salvation, screams that will forever echo in her mind til the end of time. Rem was lost in her own well of despair once more, her eyes hollow, not even realizing her sister was holding her and trying to snap the blue maid out of it.
Emilia and Beatrice did not fare any better. Having another up-close view of a fatal injury did little more than to remind them of their own failures and incompetence. Both of them turned to the sleeping boy to get some sense of reassurance, that it wasn't him screaming on-screen like so many times before.
: Calm down Marine, everything's gonna be fine, look at me, we're gonna get you outta here.
The injured soldier continues to scream and shake uncontrollably, worsening his already dire conditions with blood loss.
Marine: CHRIST! I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE TH-
The soldier's pained cry is cut short as a stray bullet cuts into the man's neck, killing him instantly.
The jarring display of violence forced those who were still watching to flinch by instinct. To see a life being taken away in a blink of an eye like that was morbid to say the least, even if they had seen it plenty of times beforehand.
Garfiel did not like what he was seeing. In war there is pain and suffering, that much he understood. But this was something he couldn't bear to look at, to see a man screaming for his life as his comrade tried to comfort him. His story books in Sanctuary would describe such cries as cowardice, but Garfiel would never say so of the man. Perhaps, the heroic stories were not so truthful, he realized.
Staring at the lifeless corpse before for a few seconds, reality hits Jackson again as another bullet wheezes past him.
"Death is only the beginning…" he mumbles and picks up his rifle, returning to the fight.
"Huh…"
"That sounds really out of place…"
"And also really familiar…"
To most, the phrase would make no sense. Yet to these particular viewers, it signified shame, disappointment and guilt. However, they didn't know why it was this man, relatively a stranger to them, who said it.
"How peculiaaaaaar." Roswaal mused.
"Does it mean he has Return by Death?" Crusch wondered.
"Impossible, I suppose. We don't even know if my idiotic contractor still has it and I'd prefer it remain a mystery, in fact." Beatrice shot the Duchess's conclusion down.
"Ah, right, we don't know if the Witch's curse is still present on Subaru." Julius brought up the question that also lurked in everyone else's mind.
"I agree with the Spirit girl, best if we don't find out." Anastasia shared the same sentiment, the current question they had can only be solved with a single solution, and they did not want to see that again, for they had seen it eleven times.
"At the very least, Barusu is involved somehow." Ram sighed, still hugging her sister.
"Please be safe, Subaru." Emilia thought out loud, all of the unknown details and implications that her knight suffered even more than what she had witnessed distressed the poor half-elf to no end.
The following firefight is a long and tedious one, with the Marines sustaining multiple casualties as they slowly clear out all enemy combatants.
: Room clear! Headcount, how many friendlies KIA?
: Seven, sir.
: Semper Fi. Let's keep going. Rest is only for the dead.
'If only that were the case huh.' Al thought about the saying, which couldn't be further from the truth, for both himself and his bro.
"Sempah-Fai?" This time it was Otto who had trouble pronouncing the otherworldly phrase.
"It is short for Semper Fidelis, I suppose. It is the Marines' motto, meaning 'always loyal', in fact."
"That sounds nice."
"Yes, loyalty is one of the Knights' most prized virtues."
"Damn what is it with these guys and cool phrases, the Iron Fang has to have one now." Ricardo howled at the awesome slogans, he wanted one for himself too.
and the remaining Marines move further into the Reception area of the TV Station. Three M1 Abrams are seen heading toward the capital outside the building.
: Yeah, there goes our boys. Oorah.
Marines: Oorah.
"Those metal beasts seem to be in a hurry, with all the helicopters flying that direction too." Wilhelm noted.
"A large battle is taking place, it seems." Reinhard deducted.
"Mineself hope that the battle will be more noteworthy than this petty squabble over an ant." Priscilla had run out of patience for this wild goose chase for a coward who wouldn't show himself.
: Hold your fire! Friendlies coming out!
Sgt. Griggs and come out of the foyer.
Griggs: No sign of Al-Asad, sir.
: All right. Fall in, Marines. Stay frosty.
They head up the roof of the building, then through a roof access stairs.
They move into a hall and stack up outside the door to the broadcasting studio. Al-Asad can be heard inside the room.
Griggs: I think he's in there. I hear him.
Vasquez: Do it!
shoots the door hinges with a Winchester 1200 and kicks down the door. They enter the room, but it is completely empty.
: Clear!
: Room clear!
Griggs: He's not here.
"So all of those people died...for nothing?" Petra struggled to finish her question, seeing all the struggles and deaths all for naught was still a difficult notion for the little maid.
"Unfortunately so." Frederica answered honestly.
"Argh what th' hell!" Grafiel shouted in frustration.
: It's on a loop...the broadcast is a recording.
Griggs: Yeah...Score one for military intelligence!
"I like this guy's attitude." Felt always had a soft spot for sarcasm, it made her life in the slum somewhat more bearable.
: Griggs, turn that off.
Griggs: Roger that. I got something better anyway.
Griggs turns off the broadcast recording and puts on a rap song.
"Pal has good taste." Al loved rap back in the day, or at least he thought so.
Vasquez: Command, this is Red Dog. The TV station is secure but there's no sign of Al-Asad. The broadcast is a recording, over... Roger that, Command. Out.
Griggs: Yeah. Oorah.
Vasquez: Marines! Rally up! We got a new assignment. Get your gear, and get ready to move out! Let's go!