A/N: Before the start of the chapter, I'd like to give special thanks to oblivon2991 for allowing me to base this spin-off story after his crossover story Gate: Thus the Sorcerous Kingdom Fought There, as well helping with its writing.

Alsilia War Records

Chapter 1: Alsilia

"Haah... they really don't want me to spend any free time here, do they?" the woman sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose, putting the document she was reading onto the desk.

"Why do they even need a brigadier general in the special region... We barely have any troops stationed at hill Dalnus, let alone any units operating there..."

Leaning back on her leather chair, she can only ponder on this, letting her three tails wrap around her - akin to an act of self comfort.

'Ralia won't be happy at all.'

She already knows what her sister will say, and just thinking of it causes her to reach to her right fox ear and scratch its base.

Indeed, looking at the framed photo on her desk, she can't help but recall old memories.

Two young, humanoid kitsune standing side by side are on that picture, both of them standing before the gate of a small mansion. Just looking at that picture she can't help but remember how stubborn and headstrong her sibling is.

'Yeah, she was always the one with the bigger mouth…' she sighs for a moment, a soft smile forming on her face.

In a way, the two kitsune in the picture resemble each other very closely, with both having brown fur and eyes, as well wear military uniforms, happily smiling at the camera.

Yet, one was taller than the second, with only a single eye open, a rather large scar running vertically on the right side of her face, while her left ear is chipped at the top - all of this made her look like a war veteran

Wearing an uniform consisting of a grey, long-sleeved dress shirt that has a plethora of medals on the right side of her chest and a pair of stars on her shoulders to indicate her rank being brigadier general, she indeed looked splendid. The added pencil skirt, fitting tights and high heels on her feet just emphasized her shapely legs and feminine charm that was her race's own.

True, both women wear the same uniform, the same military dress the code dictates. Yet, it is visible from first sight that one has a lot more medals than the other girl, also, her hair is shorter.

'I always thought shorter hair was more practical, even if not as beautiful as longer hairstyles…'

Shaking her head with a wry smile, the kitsune gathers some mental strength to continue her work and then leans forward and grabs a pen.

'So much for spending the holidays back at home...' she complains deep inside as she finishes signing her transfer order. At the same time, the door of her office opens and a demihuman kitsune wearing a maid uniform comes in, easily a few heads taller than her.

"Lady Alsilia, the interviewer has arrived along with a colleague of hers," the maid announces after bowing, earning a nod from the one-eyed kitsune.

"Guide them to the garden; I'll be there with them shortly," she orders and the maid simply bows, before going on her way.

"Hah… let's get over with it."

Standing up and inspecting herself in the nearby full body mirror, the brigadier general hums satisfied.

'Hmm, the uniform seems fine. Maybe I should have put on the tie as well. Oh, maybe I should have applied a bit of make-up at the scar to cover it,' she thinks as she puffs her hair a little bit, giving it more volume. 'Mmm, no, it's fine that way. My tails are also sufficiently groomed.'

Looking at herself from top to bottom once more, Alsilia nods in the mirror, leaving her room and making her way towards the garden.

'If I remember correctly, this interview is for a show called "War Records", which delves into the different conflicts of the Sorcerous Kingdom, analyzing them and their battles for the audience. Explaining what caused them, the impact they had to society, etc. They even interview military experts and veterans about them. At least, that's what the letter said.'

Reaching the end of the hallway, Alsilia enters the main lobby which connects the entrance of the mansion to the living room, the dining room, and the garden, as well has the staircase that leads to the first floor of the mansion.

"And she said we'd never get our own home," Alsilia chuckles to herself as she follows the narrow hallway at the left side of the staircase, quickly finding herself on the mansion's veranda.

Immediately, the sight of the large flower garden fills her vision, attached to the veranda where the maid that had previously informed her stands, accompanying a blonde, female human, and a male demihuman with wolf characteristics and grey fur. Next to the wolfman floating is a huge, floating eyeball with a pair of small, black bat wings.

"Alright, I want you to get a wide shot of the garden, then try to move it from one side to the other, at around this speed," the human says to the demihuman, moving her left, outstretched hand slowly from right to left.

"Already on it," the tall demihuman says as he applies a bit of mana on a purple crystal he is holding, slowly moving the floating eyeball from looking at the right side of the garden to the left.

"Good morning," Alsilia says to the two guests to get their attention, with the woman turning to look at the kitsune, while the demihuman continues moving the creature to take the wide shot of the garden.

"Ah, good morning! I'm Elaine Rieverthorn, the interviewer sent by War Records," Elaine says as Alsilia walks to her, the two shaking hands.

"A pleasure meeting you, miss Elaine," Alsilia firmly nods. "I'm sure you know my name, but let me introduce myself. I'm Alsilia, currently a brigadier general in the Kitsune Kingdom's armed forces."

Elaine glances a bit to the side and motions towards the demihuman, who, having finished taking the wide shot with the floating eyeball, turns around.

"This is my colleague, Antelish. He's one of the best chimera controllers we have!" Elaine introduces her colleague, who simply outstretches his hand towards Alsilia.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, ma'am," Antelish says as Alsilia shakes his hand as well.

"The same, mister Antelish."

Finishing with their introduction, the three make their way to a nearby wooden, round table with a few chairs around it. "Please, take a seat. Mirindia, bring a few snacks for the guests, as well some tea."

The kitsune maid bows and retreats inside the mansion, while Alsilia and Elaine take a seat opposite from each other.

To take a better shot, Antelish moves a few steps away from the table, then moves the chimera a bit to find a good shot for the interview, meanwhile Elaine puts a small rectangular object on the table.

"This is a recording crystal. We'll be using it to record the interview, along with the chimera," Elaine says, then applies a bit of mana to the crystal, which suddenly starts shining in a dimly red light to indicate that it has started recording.

"Now, before we start the interview, I'd like to confirm with you that the footage recorded by the recorder and the chimera can be used by the show 'War Records' as seen fit, but strictly within the premises of the show and nowhere else," Elaine recites the contract and curtly gestures towards the mentioned devices.

"Yes," Alsilia nods.

"Great! For this week's episode, we'll be covering the ongoing war between the Sorcerous Kingdom and the last unconquered continent in Gown Prime, which has been fighting tenaciously for the past fifteen years."

"I think you are putting it lightly, miss Elaine. For the resources and manpower invested at that front by the Sorcerous Kingdom and its vassals, their defence is commendable and praiseworthy. In fact, I'd go as far as to say their fight has even earned the interest of the Supreme Beings," Alsilia says, earning a quick raise of brows from both guests, nonetheless, both regaining their composure under a moment.

"That's a bold statement, miss Alsilia," Elaine chuckles quietly, with the kitsune chuckling for a moment as well.

"Fortune favors the bold, miss Elaine. That's especially true in war. Though, depending on the outcome, history will either call you bold, or reckless. Such is the case with this war and the very first fight in their continent."

"Ah, you are talking about the first naval invasion, correct?" Elaine inquires and the brigadier general nods

"Yes. A great deal of people were lost during that attack, but it did allow us to establish a beachhead from which to bring reinforcements and equipment. But had it been repelled, had it failed its primary goal of capturing the beach and the surrounding area, history would have noted it down as a reckless plan whose cracks you could notice oh so easily, whose failure could be seen from miles away. Ah, please excuse me, I've gotten off topic," Alsilia blushes for a moment, before she clears her throat to continue.

"As I was saying, the defenders have put some formidable resistance till now despite outnumbering them in most battles. This war has already been going for fifteen years, yet we've only conquered 3/4ths of the continent. And if I want to be honest with you, it'll probably take another ten or so years until they are under the complete control of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Maybe even more as resources are diverted to the operations in the special region. After all, rebuilding a nation and improving it is no simple task, especially with all the UN forces amassing at Alnus hill, as well the ex-vassals of the Empire planning to take back what was originally theirs, if they even can pull it off with their pitiful armies."

Albeit only muttering the last part, it still earns a wry smile from the two before her.

"What an interesting opinion. Most people we have interviewed have said the war is nearing its end," Elaine comments, with Alsilia snorting at this.

"Then I'm afraid you've been interviewing the wrong people this whole time."

This earns a surprised expression from her guests, maybe not expecting the brigadier general to be so straightforward with them.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if you ask anyone fighting on the last continent, barring a few exceptions, will tell you the war is far from over. Fighting to protect your home can be surprisingly motivating. The enemy's morale is as strong as ever, while the Sorcerous Kingdom has to continuously shuffle its forces to avoid stalling their advance, as well keep the troops entertained to make sure their morale doesn't fall under a certain threshold," the kitsune explains, with the woman nodding in understanding.

"I see. Very interesting opinion. Now, for the next part of the interview, could you please tell us some of your experiences during the war? We know you've been fighting on it since the start, and you even made it to your current rank at lightning speed."

"Of course, I don't mind," Alsilia responds with a smile. "I'll tell you about the one that I remember most vividly, my first battle. As you know, with the occupation of the Middle islands, a naval invasion of the last continent was finally possible. I had just exited boot camp when they informed me I'd be participating at the first landing. As you can imagine, for someone that was only seventeen years old at that point, it was really terrifying. And my fears only worsened as the landing crafts hit the water and we started making ourway towards the beach..."

Scene change: Off the coast of the last continent in Gown Prime, fifteen years ago

On-board the SKS Eclair Ecleir Eicler attack transport

"Come on, recruit, we don't have all day!" a large lizardman wearing heavy armor shouts at a brown-furred kitsune, his eyes glaring daggers at the young fox's head.

"Y-Yes, commander!" the kitsune stutters as she tries to get up. She never liked the sea, not speaking the mix of salty air and the constant wobbling of the ship upset her stomach. Still, an order was an order, she needed to oblige no matter how seasick she was feeling.

Gathering her mental fortitude, she grabs her crossbow and stands up, snapping a weak salute at the lizardman. "P-Private Alsilia, r-ready for combat, sir!"

"Leave the formalities for after the battle and get inside the landing craft!" the lizardman's voice booms and the girl instinctively shudders in fear, her ears flattening themselves against her black and blue leather helmet

"R-Right away, sir!" Not even waiting to be pushed forward, she scampers towards the nearby landing craft, the lizardman following closely behind.

'H-He's so scary...' Her sea sickness right away vanishes, getting replaced by the fear of her superior. But maybe that was for the worse, since her stomach almost instantly starts to ache even more, her poor breakfast in her throat already.

It was strange, but now as she watched her fellow soldiers, it was evident how uniformed the Sorcerous Kingdom's naval force was. Her uniform, which was shared by most ranged soldiers, consisted of a black undershirt, a black and dark blue cloth jacket and pants, and enchanted light armor in the form of a leather vest, gloves made of cloth, and her helmet. With her sturdy wooden crossbow in her side - currently unloaded for safety reasons - she indeed looked properly equipped.

Looking around, she notices the color of her fellows is the same as her, only the type of equipment differing between them. Mages wearing robes and light armor, close quarters chainmail, or plate, while support, archers and crosbowers mostly leather. Yes, in her attack boat people were equipped that way.

'The Sorcerous Kingdom's equipment is really nice... I hate to admit it, but it's better than the one we have back at home. I mean, the crossbow is enchanted, like my armor, and the uniforms are comfy too. Though, I'd prefer for it to have a trigger instead of a firing lever.'

Reaching the landing craft, Alsilia stares at it for a bit, before she quickly enters from the front. Ten people are already inside, giving the metal box a crowded feeling.

"Sorry..." she quietly apologizes as she squeezes herself between the two lines of soldiers, going towards the back of the craft where the ones wielding long range weapons and the magic casters are stationed.

Slowly the gaps get filled by new people, and in the end, the same large lizardman steps inside the landing craft as well, gazing at the soldiers for a few moments before lifting the ramp up and locking it in place.

"Alright troops, listen up!" the man barks loudly to get everyone's attention, while a huge, slimy creature with multiple tendrils slowly slithers towards the boat, raising it up gently and moving it over the ship's edge, then down towards the sea. "Our objective today is to land on the beach and occupy it in order to establish a front from which we can support an invasion. While multiple landings will take place all over the west side of the continent, ours will be one of the more difficult."

"The plan is simple. Get on the beach, run to the fortress and breach it. Then find the barrier generators that cover the entire beachfront, destroy them, and run back to the landing crafts, then let the fleet bombard them to hell and back, understood?" the lizardman asks and everyone nods in unison.

"Good. I know some of you are veterans of the Middle islands, as well some of you are fresh recruits straight out of bootcamp. I'll say it only once, but if you follow my orders, you'll all make it out alive from this fight. I want you also to remember that your amulets," the man points at a small stone with a glowing rune that hangs from his neck, "will negate some hits for you, but after the charge is depleted, it becomes nothing more than a pebble, so don't take any reckless actions."

'splash!'

As the landing craft hits the water, a series of runes light up at the exterior of its hull, causing it to propel itself towards the beach.

"Yes sir!" Alsilia says along with the rest of the soldiers, already nervous if she will make it out alive, or if this will be her first and final mission.

"Good. Everyone, prepare your weapons. Mages, be ready to cast spells the moment the ramp falls."

As everyone starts getting ready, Alsilia retrieves an enchanted arrow from her quiver and with slightly trembling hands loads her crossbow, though she first triple-checks the safety is on so she won't shoot anyone by mistake.

'W-We'll be fine... I-I'm sure we are going to survive... After all, the first two waves showed their defenses aren't all that scary...' Alsilia thinks in an attempt to calm and reassure herself, the impressive enemy fortress already visible despite the distance.

'It looks as tall and long as a grand wall... but also as thick as a castle...'

Her ears slightly droop in fear, her tail getting between her legs.

"Hah... hah..."

Taking a few deep breaths, it does little to help her as her body starts trembling, the nauseating feeling in her stomach growing stronger.

'Don't worry, everything will be fine... just remember your training and you'll make it out alive...'

To take her mind off, Alsilia peers over the edge of the landing craft, only to be greeted by the sight of countless landing crafts heading towards the beach as well, some loaded with mercenaries or adventurers, others with golems of various sizes, and some even with rather big soldiers clad in enchanted steel armor.

'So many people… there's no way the enemy will be able to hold out against these many soldiers. Not to mention we'll have the support of the navy, and even brought top rate magicians! Yes, with all that there's no way we'll lose!'

Boom!

"Eiiii!" she immediately yelps, an explosive shell barely missing their craft.

Then it happens again. Then again. More and more explosions start shaking the water, some distant, some too close, but all of them filling the young soldier with pure terror. From the beach massive balls of fire draw an elegant arc, heading towards the speeding crafts with surprising precision.

"We've got incoming!"

"Are these Greater Fireballs!? There are so many!"

"Everyone, brace for impact!"

Splash!

Before she can even understand what's going on, one of the fireballs lands next to the landing craft's left side, causing it to shake violently and throw Alsilia down on the floor.

"Ack-!" the girl yelps in pain as she lands on her back, instinctively clutching her crossbow against her chest for a steady point to grab. As the adrenaline kicks in and her heartbeat becomes faster, Alsilia tries to stand up as fast as she can, the boat shaking more and more as an increasing amount of fireballs, boulders, and even humongous ice spikes start to bombard the advancing forces of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

"Hah… hah… hah…"

Looking around, she can see landing crafts getting destroyed left and right, the people inside them either burning to death, or getting thrown in the sea and drowning by slowly sinking under the waves.

"Five hundred meters to landing! Everyone get ready!" the lizardman shouts as great columns of light erupt from the sea, annihilating and purifying everything on their path. "Tsk, they even mined the sea."

'Th-This is too much! I want to go back home! I want to go back-!'

"Four hundred meters!"

A few big, magic circles appear in the sky suddenly, raining down streaks of lightning that electrocute and burn the soldiers inside the landing crafts, with some of them barely missing Alsilia and her comrades.

'What's all this!? Weren't the defenses supposed to be really weak!? We are falling like flies right now!'

"Two hundred meters! Safeties off!" the lizardman shouts, but Alsilia is too preoccupied looking at the carnage around her to even hear what he said.

"Hey, look! Up in the sky!" in the next moment one of the soldiers says and points upwards, towards a dozen steel spheres that are speeding above them, heading straight for the beach.

"They are called Iron Stars, private! The moment they hit the beach they'll explode and release summoned units! They'll take the brunt of the attack for us!" a veteran amongst their ranks explains, having seen them in action during the naval invasion of the Middle Islands, though the enemy was nowhere near as strong as here back there.

"One hundred meters! Mages, get ready to cast [Earth Wall] and [Barrier]!"

Clang!

A barrier suddenly appears over the landing craft, just in time as in the first wave of enchanted arrows and small projectiles hit the mark, being reflected immediately by the translucent shield.

"Just in time…" sigh many, though the more experienced don't have the same opinion.

"This was just the first wave, many more will come. Don't let that barrier down!" the veteran shouts, and the volume of projectiles immediately increases, coming in waves, making the barrier shine brightly as newer and newer peebles started to bombard it.

"Fifty meters! Once we get out of the landing craft, take cover behind the earth wall and don't move until I say so, understood?"

"Yes sir!" everyone shouts in unison.

As they start to get closer, Alsilia's mind starts blanking more and more as her thought process gets overtaken by her instincts and the ample amounts of adrenalin getting pumped inside her bloodstream in response to the chaos unfolding all around her, everything slowing down slightly and turning the few seconds before disembarking into what feels like an eternity.

Crash!

Taktaktak-thump!

"[Earth Wall]!"

"[Barrier]!"

As the landing craft crashes on the shore, its ramp immediately falls down to allow the soldiers to quickly disembark on the beach. The mages of course act right away and cast their spells, a long and tall wall made of rock and dirt forming a few meters in front of them, covered by a translucent barrier for added protection.

"Everyone out! Go go go!" the lizardman shouts and runs out of the landing craft, every soldier inside following him and lining against the wall to take cover from the slaughterhouse the beach is slowly turning into. But as Alsilia steps out of it, a sudden explosion behind her sends her and anyone around her hurling on the wall, the impact knocking her out for a moment as a ringing sound fills her ears.

"Shit, we lost the mages! What are we going to do now, Lieutenant?" a short dwarf wielding a Warhammer asks the lizardman, looking at the flaming remains of the landing craft that moments ago got struck by a big fireball that exploded on contact.

"We continue as planned, Shortbeard! We wait for the smoke barrage from the ships and push towards the base of the fortress after that!" the lieutenant responds, outlining the tactic, then turns to look at the dazed kitsune.

"On your feet, soldier!" he violently pulls Alsilia up on her feet, then grabs her crossbow and shoves it against her chest. "We have a battle to win and it is still too early for you to die! And for the Supreme Beings' sake, take off the safety from your weapon!"

"Y-Yes sir…" Alsilia stutters a little as she tries to stay upright, everything around her spinning a little from her impact with the wall, her officer's shouting not helping her at all.

"Lieutenant Adehlmin, most forces have successfully landed!" the veteran reports curtly. Alsilia recognizes him as the same man who had commented about the Iron Stars.

In his hand he holds a purple crystal,a short range communications device which helps with communications between nearby squads.

"Good. The smoke barrage should be arriving any moment now," Adehlmin mutters as he looks around.

In the battlefield, many earth walls have already been erected, serving as forward fortification at the beachfront behind which soldiers and adventurers hide, save for the plethora of golems that push past them and towards the enemy fortress.

The iron stars continuously bombard the battlefield, bringing forth more and more summoned units. Most such units are immediately gunned down by a multitude of enchanted projectiles and spells before they can even make a step, while others are intercepted by the enemy's own summoned units and beasts that roam the beach searching for the invaders.

The situation currently was very bad, the landing was way harder than expected. The enemy's stubbornness to not allow them to gain steady footing caught them almost completely off guard; no one expected they would already know about the landing tactics of the Sorcerous Kingdom. This landing was a catastrophe, even the girl had recognized that.

'Calm down! Calm down! You will push through!'

Shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness she's feeling, Alsilia finally takes off the safety from her crossbow and readjusts her grip on it a bit, then looks around to see how many people have made it to the beach, just in time as a giant boulder hits a nearby earth wall and flattens most of the troops behind it.

'W-Wha…'

Seeing her comrades die so suddenly and violently, Alsilia can only watch in mute horror at how easily the earth wall gets crushed along with the soldiers behind it, the survivors not faring any better as they quickly get picked off by the sheer amount of enemy fire.

'N-No… I-I don't have to think about it… I need to focus… I have to make it out of here alive!' she tries to dismiss this picture from her head, taking a few breaths to calm her slightly trembling body as a line of big, metallic canisters fly over the beach and explode, raining down a thick cloud of white smoke to cover the advance of the troops.

"Everyone, charge!" Adehlmin roars his order, and every single troop starts its charge, running into the smokescreen. First the melee units, followed by the ranged ones and the mages.

Alsilia flattens her ears against her caps and follows her squadmates inside the smoke, though she quickly loses track of them, the sounds of battle making her disoriented and lost.

'Uuu… wh-where do I go now?' she cries mentally, no idea towards which direction she's supposed to run. 'And I can't see anyone! Where's everybody?'

Clang!

Hearing the sound of metal striking metal nearby, Alsilia quickly raises her ears in an attempt to pinpoint its location.

'Hrng… there are so many noises all around… Ah! This way!' With her heart in her throat, she can only make an estimated guess as many things run through her mind. Starting to run towards a certain direction, the sound she was looking for starts getting louder and louder.

Whoosh!

But out of nowhere, an enchanted arrow hits her square in the chest, a blue, translucent shield appearing all around her body and stopping the projectile millimeters before it reaches her armor.

"Gah-!" she cries out as the force knocks her back and down on the ground, some of her enchanted arrows spilling out of her quiver. "Ouch… w-what… hit me…?"

Groaning in pain, the kitsune rolls around and forces herself to stand up, with another arrow barely missing her head.

"Ahh… Ahhhh! I-I need to get out of here!" she mutters in panic, quickly adjusting her cap.

Snatching a handful of spilled arrows from the ground, and putting them in her quiver, the rookie barely takes a few steps before everything around her starts to tremble, then explode, the shockwaves forcing her to lose her balance and stumble around.

'Where the hell is the fortress!? I don't remember the beach being that long!?'

Not daring to move her head and look around in fear something might jump on her out of nowhere, Alsilia keeps running towards where she thinks her objective is, only stopping when she recognizes a fire elemental fighting a rockbreaker, a huge beast with two hooved legs, three eyes on each side and skin that is as hard as steel.

Looking around hurriedly, she decides to circle the two monsters fighting each other from the right and leave them alone, only for a second rockbreaker to jump in front of her.

"Roooooaaaarr!" the rockbreaker roars loudly.

"Eiiiiii!" and Alsilia can't help but yelp in fright. The creature, of course, recognizing that fear-filled sound, gazes towards the helpless kitsune for a moment, then lowers its head and charges straight at her.

"Le-Leave me alone!"

Hastily, Alsilia raises her crossbow and fires at the rockbreaker.

"N-No!"

Yet to her horror, the enchanted arrow upon impact shatters harmlessly.

"Ahh!" Only out of her demi-human instinct she dives away from the merciless charge just in time, avoiding a very brutal death.

"This is too much! This is too much! This is too much!"

Only driven by adrenaline and her will to live, she quickly stands up and loads her crossbow once more with an enchanted bolt.

"Oraaa!" the rockbreaker roars and starts his charge yet again, with the girl not sure she can dodge this time.

"Will I die here?" so close to the being's foul breath, she can only ask herself this, her short life playing before her eyes one last time.

[Light Ray!]

Yet, as always, in the domain of the great Supreme Beings, miracles happen from time to time. In the next moment, a ray of light hits the rockbreaker on its side, punching through its rock hard skin like a hot knife through butter and leaving a gaping hole, with the creature collapsing immediately and breathing away a small cry of pain before it dies. But because of that cry, the young fox gets covered by a generous amount of blood and stomach fluids.

"Aaah… awww, the smell! S-So gross!"

"Hey, are you alright?" a man in dark blue robes asks the still frozen and disgusted girl, quickly approaching her along with a crossbowman.

'DO I LOOK FINE TO YOU!?' she wants to shout incredulously, yet, she holds her tongue back since she has more pressing matters to deal with.

"Y-Yeah! Thanks for saving me!" Alsilia responds still shaking, trying to remove the blood covering her face.

"No time for gratitude, we need to keep running-ahh!" the crossbowman tries to say as he sees the fire elemental burning to death the rockbreaker it was battling, yet in the next moment cries out in pain as an arrow strikes him on his shoulder. "Grr! Son of a…!"

"Hey hey, take it easy!" the mage says as he runs next to him to check his wound. "Tsk! We need a medic for this! You, keep moving towards the fortress! You'll surely die if you stay here!" he shouts at the kitsune, who after a small dilemma on whether to stay and help or not, turns around and makes a run for the end of the beach.

"Hah… hah… hah…!"

'The smoke is starting to fade, I must be nearing its end!' she recognizes, giving her all to run even faster. 'Come on, just a bit more! Just a few more meters!'

Pushing herself to run as fast as she can, the girlfinally reaches the end of the smokescreen and, after a few meters, collides face first with an invisible wall.

"Oww!" she cries out loudly as she immediately bounces back and falls down on the ground from the collision, causing her to black out for a split second.

The rest of the soldiers standing right in front of the barrier turn to look at her, looking at the girl either in surprise, confusion, or even with mocking expressions and laughter - the latter only muffled since the commander is nearby.

"Fufufufu…"

"Not funny!" she yelps out in pain, squeezing her tear filled eyes shut, her face feeling as if it's on fire, even clasping her hands on the throbbing point.

"Private, I swear to the Supreme Beings, you must really love colliding with walls or something," Adehlmin barks angrily from nearby, cutting through the soldiers that have gathered in front of the barrier to reach Alsilia and lift her up.

'H-He's so big!' she exclaims to herself as she looks up at the lizardman, feeling so small all of a sudden despite having looked at him back at the ship as well.

"Congratulations on making it through the beach, but the real battle starts now!" the man praises her courage, or rather her luck for managing to survive until now, albeit it feels like a mockery than anything else.

"Th-Thank you, sir…" Alsilia stutters with a pained tone, feeling something hot trickle from her nose.

'If the real battle is about to start, then what was all of this until now!?' she wonders in her mind, even if she doesn't want to know the answer.

"Lieutenant, the engineers have finished setting up the machine! We are ready to breach over here!" a nearby soldier reports, behind him a strange machine made from metal sheets that have carved runes on them whirring as if charging.

"According to Major Murtch, the barriers in sections five and three have already been breached and disabled, and section seven is getting ready to breach as we speak!" a nearby mage that acts as a radio operator reports immediately, earning a look and a firm nod from Adehlmin.

"Tell her, section six is about to be breached as well! Engineers, fire the machine as soon as it is charged!"

Alsilia in the meantime wipes her nose with the back of her glove, wincing a bit in pain.

'Uuu… my nose is definitely broken…' she mourns for her cute nose as she looks up at the impressive fortress standing only a few meters in front of her.

Having visited the Capital of the Sorcerous Kingdom when she was to be redeployed to the front, she had seen many buildings far bigger, as well grander than this.

But this close, moreover in the battlefield, she could only feel something akin to fear starting to well up inside her. Just watching this fortress was enough to make her tremble.

'Just how many enemy soldiers can this thing house?!' she questions herself, her body slightly aching from all the strain it has already been put through.

'Good thing we are in their blind spot… Haah, I feel so exhausted already…'

"Lieutenant,the machine is ready!" one of the engineers reports, earning a firm nod from their commander.

"Good. Everyone, clear the area!" Adehlmin shouts and makes a circular hand motion, making everyone pull away from the machine.

As it starts to whirl louder and louder, the runes on it glow ever brightly, a strange, purple-like color slowly covering the machine.

"Now, witness the power of this fully operational and charged singularity laser! Hahahahahaha!" one of the battlefield engineer laughs demented, earning a sigh from his colleagues.

"Really?"

"What? It is a classic!" the aforementioned engineer just shrugs. "People nowadays refuse to appreciate classic theatre…"

Fully charged, the plates collapse into a black orb, a ray of pure chaotic energy shooting forth and penetrating the barrier with ease. The chaotic ray doesn't stop there, though, immediately making a wide hole on the stone wall of the fortification and several layers of the interior as well.

'So-So cool!' the kitsune girl exclaims amazed, making a mental note of having never seen such tech before.

Finishing its task, the black orb shrinks into nothingness, a lingering purple edge forming on the barrier and effectively preventing it from regenerating and closing the breach.

"Everyone inside, now!" Adehlmin shouts aloud and the soldiers pass through the gap in the barrier and into the breached fortification, spreading through its many corridors and rooms like an infection, with the sole objective of finding the barrier generator room and destroying it. "Private, how fast are you?"

"E-Eh? F-Fast enough, I guess?" Alsilia responds a bit confused, not sure what is the purpose of the question.

"Good. You come with me, we'll make a run for the barrier generator before the enemy can respond!"

'E-Eeeeh!? But we don't even know where it is! We'll run to our deaths if we do that!'

She can only gape! Why she? Why not other, more experienced soldiers? This really isn't her day. First mission out of boot camp, and she is already sent on a suicide mission.

Just great! Fucking great!

"..."

As she questions herself though, she immediately recognizes the strict, expectant gaze of her commander, causing her to shrink and try to apologize. "I-I'm sorry for-"

"Cut the chatter, Private, we don't have time! Just follow me! That's an order!" the lizardman shouts in a strict voice, giving one last look at Alsilia before passing through the gap in the barrier, with Alsilia closely following behind him.

It was a direct order from her superior; it was obvious she couldn't refuse, lest she wanted to be branded a deserter and suffer the consequences.

'The beach is still full with those monsters… if I turn around, I will surely die! And there's no way I can make it on my own… He's a veteran, so I have more chances to survive if I stay with him!'

Taking a few breaths and bracing herself for what she's about to do next, Alsilia closes her eyes and mutters a small prayer.

'Oh Supreme Beings that watch over us from the stars, oh goddess Luneir that walks among us like a mortal, please grant me your protection so that I may make it out alive.'

After asking the forty-one and one of the goddesses from her land for protection, she follows the man through the hole, hoping she will survive this nightmare in one piece.

Scene Change: Back in the present

"...and so we dived into the wolf's lair. With the help of a mage we managed to locate the generator room and made a dash for it, and while I thought we'd surely run face first into a bunch of enemy soldiers and get killed, nothing of the sort happened," Alsilia says, a soft smile forming on her face. "For all the doubts I had for his quite rightfully reckless plan, he did prove me wrong. You see, because the enemy tried to stop the main body of soldiers from spreading too much, they left the barrier generator virtually unprotected and made our work a lot easier. After eliminating the guards and disabling the barrier generator in our section, the whole network became underpowered and the barrier fell, giving our navy the opportunity to bombard the whole fortress into oblivion and beyond. Though, if I'm honest, the sixty seconds it took for the first shots to land on the fortress were probably the most intense minute I've ever had in my life."

Chuckling a little at this, she raises her teacup to take a small sip of tea Mirindia had brought at some point during the interview.

"How so?" raises her brow the interviewer.

"Mainly because me and the lieutenant barely made it out of there in time, and had to take cover behind a destroyed golem to not to get blown back into the sea."

Despite the soft smile she has on her face, Elaine can clearly see the pain hidden behind the kitsune's slit eyes as she silently gazes down on the table for a few moments.

"You know… what scared me the most wasn't really the battle, or that I had spilled blood in my hands. I was a soldier, after all, I'd have to get my hands dirty sooner or later. Rather, it was the aftermath that really shocked me. All the destruction and death laid before me, it… it was too much for me. Everywhere you looked, there was only blood and bodies. People screaming in pain or shouting for help, it was awful. There's a saying that goes, "Only the dead see the end of the war". And after what I witnessed on that beach, I wholeheartedly believe it."

An uneasy silence fills the air as Alsilia keeps gazing at the table, a few unpleasant memories surfacing on her mind, which she quickly puts away with an audible sigh.

"Please forgive me about this, sometimes I get lost in thought when recalling memories from the war," the girl bows her head towards Elaine, apologizing for the uncomfortable moment.

"No no, it's alright, Miss Alsilia," the woman nods in understanding. "Though, if you'll allow me to ask, do you ever regret being drafted in the war?"

"No," Alsilia responds immediately, which takes the guest a little bit by surprise. "For all the hardships and pain I had to endure during my deployment there, it meant my sister always had a roof over her head and a plate of food to eat each day. She could go to school like all the other children and not drop out like I did. She could have a happy life where she didn't need to worry whether she'd be able to eat tomorrow or not."

The pain in Alsilia's eyes slowly fades away and gets replaced by silent determination and an iron will.

"I lost a piece of myself in that beach all those years ago, yet I'd do it again and again if it means my sister gets to have an easy and happy life. We never had parents to care for us, so I decided I'd care for her instead. And I'll keep doing that until I draw my last breath, whether it's on the battlefield or right besides her."

Realizing she has gotten on a tangent again, the brigadier general coughs to clear her throat, her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Ahem! Please forgive me for going on a tangent yet again. But no, I don't regret fighting in that war. Mainly because at the end of the day, it came with more benefits than drawbacks."

Elaine nods once to Alsilia, then retrieves the recording crystal and applies a bit of mana to stop it from recording.

"Thank you very much for this interview, brigadier general. It was very interesting, to say the least," Elaine says as she stands up from her seat.

"The pleasure was all mine, miss Elaine," Alsilia responds as she shakes hands with her, then turns to shake hands with the wolfman.

"Now if you'll excuse me, there are a few matters that require my attention. Mirindia will escort you to the gate," the kitsune says and gestures to the nearby maid. "I hope both of you will have a good day."

With that said, Alsilia turns around and starts making her way back to her office, her mind preoccupied with how she'll explain to her sister she'll be gone from home for quite some time yet again.

'Getting transferred to the special region, huh? Haah… she won't like it in the slightest…' she sighs mentally, already hearing her sister's shouts of objection in her mind.

A/N: Thank you very much for reading till the end! I hope you really liked it. If you are interested in seeing how this spin-off story will continue, then follow and favorite it, as well leave a review saying how much you liked it or hated it, any criticism is welcome (as long as it is civilized). Once again, special thanks to oblivon2991 for letting me base it around his crossover story and helping me with writing this chapter. Without his help, this idea would have never taken shape. Please do note that English isn't my first language, so expect awkward grammar and misspelled words here and there. At any rate, I hope you all have a good day/night, and I'll see you in the next chapter.