Chapter 20:

Siege of Kingsbridge

(Part 2)

Kingsbridge, Emerald District City Hall, November 1st 2022.

"Your Majesty," Shoutmon snapped from his sleep-deprived trance and turned to face a Pawnchessmon respectfully bowing, "I have received the battle report from lord Duftmon," The small knight explained dutifully.

Shoutmon simply nodded his head, his tired mind was numb from the ever-growing migraine he had since coming here. He mentally berated himself for not taking more rests, all of his friends and advisors could see the fatigue on his face.

Pawnchessmon pulled out and unrolled the scroll and cleared his throat, "Phase 1 of the operation: successful. Casualties: Moderate, requesting reinforcements for centre and right flank. Counter-attack imminent. Interrogative: How much longer should we hold until civilians are evacuated... That's the end of the report, sire,"

"Sounds like the humans' bold plan was a success!" General OchiMusyamon quipped from behind him. The undead samurai crossed his arms over his chest plate and let out contemplative hum, "As much as I want to celebrate this victory with a good sake, our work here is not done," He reminded the other advisors and military leaders.

Other than Shoutmon and OchiMusyamon, there was also Alphamon accompanied with Omegamon, Commander Dorulumon along with Knight-Commander Stiffilmon and Brigadier-General Slayerdramon. The IDDF's command staff were still at the airport overseeing the supply lines and reinforcements while managing their air assets on the field.

"Indeed, we still have thousands of civilians to evacuate," Omegamon agreed with a nod, "Although we may have managed to put up a strong obstacle on land, the skies are still not clear from harm,"

"The humans are a great hand in this conflict but their aircraft aren't as flexible as our air units," Slayerdramon remarked, stroking his chin pensively.

"All eleven of us are currently engaged in this war, I can spare some of them for air cover but we'll still be spread too thin," Alphamon stated grimly. His eyes turned to Stiffilmon, "How long do you reckon until you can muster a sizeable air unit?" He enquired.

"Our Fusion Wing Corps is three thousand strong but we can probably only gather around six hundred in twenty-four hours," He replied truthfully.

Alphamon nodded and shifted his gaze toward Slayerdramon, "And what about the DSF?"

"It'll be a two days flight to reach the city with around three hundred troops,"

"That's all you can muster?" Dorulumon asked incredulously, "Is the CNS completely ignoring our plea for help?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The CNS isn't willing to commit more troops after the Sword Zone conflict. Their current policy is to bring the Metal Empire into negotiations by inflicting economical sanctions and hopefully resolve the war as quickly and as bloodless as possible," Slayerdramon explained regretfully.

"Kind of too late for the 'bloodless' part, general," OchiMusyamon commented with a sneer.

"We're still grateful and glad for your assistance in this war," Shoutmon interrupted diplomatically, shutting down any internal tension between his advisors and his allies.

"What are your orders, your Majesty?"

Everyone grew silent and stared at their king for an answer. The small dragon digimon in question pensively observed the map of the city and its surrounding settlements sprawled out on display on a white board. All of the sudden, the sirens outside wailed to life, prompting everyone to look out of the window. The blaring wails were shortly followed by rumbles and earthshaking explosions erupting all across the city.

Woodberry Timberland, 0918 hours.

"Back-blast!"

"Fucking clear!"

The SMAW let out a thunderous "whump", kicking up dust and dirt around the operator while the rocket flew out of the tube and slammed an enemy position. The explosion and shock wave were strong enough to tear through the squad of enemy soldiers and destroying their cover and machine gun emplacement.

The first rocket fire was then supplemented by auto-cannon and small arms fire, followed by accurate mortar barrages. The American and British troops fought tooth and nails against multiple waves of enemy units, desperately trying to overcome their position and retake the main road that would traverse the village and connect to Hazelmoor. The Allies had the explicit order to hold the road for as long as possible; until the order to retreat was given or waiting for reinforcements and lead a counter-attack.

"Skipper! All rounds complete!" Sullivan reported hastily.

"Logistics are still harassed by enemy air, we're going to have to rely on the Bradleys," Raymond instructed in a composed manner, despite the ongoing chaos around him.

Since last night, the men and women fend off wave after wave of enemy troops, taking little casualties but their ammunition supplies were about to run dry. Throughout the night, supply helicopters dropped off much needed medicals supplies, foods and water and ammunition while evacuating their wounded. Their designated landing zones came under heavy opposition fire but the humans managed to provide effective cover fire. However, their logistics were being shot down by enemy air assets since this morning, spreading their Allies' supply lines ever thinner, bleeding the ground forces dry. It has been four hours since their last supply drop, at this rate, the men will have to resort in melee with whatever weapon they could find.

"Incoming air units!" A Marine yelled in panic.

"Take cover and open fire!" Porter shouted sternly.

Two squadrons of the Metal Empire Air Force formed in a triangular formation. The first formation swept over the human position, dropping bombs and launching energy attacks. The gun run was deadly effective, managing to destroy two Bradleys and wiping out entire squads of Americans and British; however the worst is about to come. Thanks to the bomb run by the first formation, their lines were in disarray, allowing the second formation for a nose dive and go for the kill up close and personal.

"Fuuck!" A British paratrooper screamed after being swiftly grabbed by a Raptor Sparrowmon, throwing the helpless man into a building. The force crushed his bones and internal organs, killing him instantly.

Wreaking havoc, the enemy infantry used the opportunity to charge across no man's land with a determined uproar of a battle cry. A Raptordramon leapt on top of another Bradley and sliced the auto-cannon before hacking away at the turret with its powerful, rendering claws. The turret's gunner opened his hatch and stabbed the mighty beast through his furry neck with his bayonet affixed M4 carbine. He pulled the trigger and let off a flurry of automatic fire into the flesh, spraying him and the IFV with blood and gore. The creature was undeterred and quickly bit the man in half, throwing the maimed corpse like a ragdoll.

There were five Raptordramon in their line, largely enough to massacre everyone and cause terror among the humans. These machines and their upgraded Sparrowmon counterparts were incredibly deadly and were great psychological weapons; it was the Metal Empire's answer to the IDDF's A-10 Warthogs.

"Aim for the fucking head!" Raymond ordered furiously, assaulting one of the cyborgs with automatic fire.

His Marines rallied behind him, unleashing a vengeful volley of lead. Although terrified by their ungodly ferocity, the humans were able to regroup and fight back out of rage and vengeance.

Kudo manned a fixed HMG emplacement and swerved toward the Raptordramon on top of the IFV. He gritted his teeth and re-armed the M2 machine gun with a heavy mechanical snap. Ma Deuce let out a resonant and powerful thunder as the rounds chewed through the digimon's flesh and armour.

"Eat lead motherfucker!" He hollered in rage.

The Raptordramon's head snapped backwards, its body staggered and fell over the wrecked Bradley, blood jutted out like water fountains while electric sparks rippled through its robotic parts.

"Stand your ground, F company!" A British Colour Sergeant bellowed roughly, "Man your positions and kill the fuckers! Don't let them get through!"

The remaining robotic raptors continued with their onslaught, leaving their infantry comrades to reach the enemy line, meeting the humans in brutal melee combat. Raymond barely dodged a fireball thrown by the Flamedramon, closed in the gap and thrust the bayonet between their ribcage. He immediately pulled his rifle back, struck them with the butt-stock and shot them in the skull.

"Damn it! Daniels!" He called for his radio transmitter, "Report to command that they've breached our perimeter! Call in 'Alamo'!"

"Yes sir!"

"Sullivan! Porter! Tacti-" He was cut off as a Raptordramon pounced on Lance Corporal Daniels and ripped the man in half with its razor sharp claws.

Stephen froze up in shock, his wide eyes staring helplessly, incapable and powerless to act on instinct. The gory sight was a death too many for him and his brain paralysed with fear. He stood in place, watching with horror and dread as the digimon continued to hack and slash through two more men in a spectacular and morbid mess of organs, flesh and blood. It loomed over him, staring down as if eyeing for its next meal.

"Magnum Punch!" Another voice shouted passionately.

A blur of gold and blue abruptly slammed into Raptordramon, launching the cyborg dinosaur skidding across the stoned road.

"Plasma Shoot!" Magnamon's pauldrons opened up small missile ports and fired a swarm of them into Raptordramon. The missiles soared straight for their target and enveloped it with a resounding boom.

The Royal Knight turned to Raymond with a worried look, "Captain! Are you alright?"

Raymond snapped out of his terrified trance and stared at Magnamon in bewilderment, "What? What's the sitrep?" He replied with an inquiry, switching back to his "combat" mode, seemingly to have completely forgotten by the incident seconds ago.

"The city is under attack. We're pulling everyone back to Kingsbridge," Magnamon reported hastily, "Get your men out of here and return to the capital city! You won't get any comms from HQ here,"

"Jesus... God seems to shit on my dinner..." He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. We'll pull back as soon as possible, we're going to need some air cover,"

"Leave that to me," Magnamon assured the officer.

As if on cue, about three dozen Order Strike Force soldiers swooped in and joined the humans into the fray, already turning the tide into their favour.

However it wasn't enough to change the battlefield. Across the front line, coalition forces pulled back to the devastated city. The Metal Empire have managed to slipped through Kingsbridge's airspace and bombarded the North and East gates and curtain walls. The initial barrage was enough to disrupt the defenders. The bombardments were followed by Metal Empire paratroopers jumping off from a dozen Blimpmon, dotting the sky with their dark blue parachutes.

Once on the ground, the paratrooper units scattered across the city brought chaos, neutralizing multiple key artillery and anti-air guns emplacements. By the time the rest of the coalition force retreated to the capital, the main invasion force recaptured their losses, regrouped and launched a massive and ferocious assault. The sheer speed, mass and violence of the counter-attack caught the defenders off guard. In a single day, they achieved to punch through the outdoor defensive perimeter and breached through the North gate, taking over the fortified wall and a couple of districts.

The fight for Kingsbridge has begun.

Kingsbridge Cobalt Bridge, November 8th 2022.

"Gunner; Sabot, Tank, tra-verse right!"

"Identified!"

"Fire!"

"On the way!"

"Doubtful! Re-Engage!"

"On the way!"

"TARGET! Cease fire!"

The tank squadrons stationed along the Cobalt Canal opened fire their next salvos, ripping through enemy ranks and destroying their armoured support. On the other side of the bridge was a relatively small rear guard, stalling the attackers while IDDF engineers were preparing explosives on the bridge.

"Shit!" Ryo yelled in surprise while checking over the downed soldier for any additional wounds, "Medic! Akesaka! Over here!" He beckoned the platoon's medic

Leading Private Akesaka ran up to her next patient and made a quick assessment, "We've got to get him out of here! Help me up!" She urged him while deploying a lightweight emergency stretcher. Ryo looked at her with confused eyes, "It's the best I've got, okay? My option was to drag him across the bridge," She explained rationally.

"You're the doc," He commented nonchalantly.

They carried him onto the stretch and lifted him off the ground. Despite her lithe frame, she was surprisingly strong enough to carry the fully equipped soldier. The pair jogged down the bridge, bullets and shells narrowly missing them.

"Cover fire!" Rika hollered sternly.

"Reloading!" Suwabe shouted hastily, crouching behind the sandbag wall.

"I'm out!" Hamano yelled dryly. He let out a surprised and pained gasp, his head flinched back and he reflexively brought a hand up to his face on the wound, "Son of a bitch!"

"You hit, Hamano?" Rika asked concernedly.

"Just a cut, sergeant, I'll be fine!" The designated marksman replied brashly.

They all hunkered down as the tanks fired another salvo, their shells whizzing just over them. In response, the Metal Empire Cannondramon batteries fired at the bridge, their sights zeroed in on the humans manning the defensive position. The shells plummeted all over them, wiping out entire squads of allied digimon troops, vehicles and IDDF positions. The second barrage was more successful, accomplishing to hit the bridge and decimating the combat engineers.

Rika's head was numb and felt heavy. Deafening bells rung in her ears, her muscles and bones were still rattled by the violent shock waves. She coughed dryly, wiping away the ashes and dust that covered her face. She stared at her gloved hands and noticed that it was stained with her own blood. She didn't have time to ponder on her well-being. She stared up and spotted Suwabe pulling another soldier to his feet, pushing him towards the Cobalt District. She could faintly hear him said that the bridge was lost.

All of the sudden, a round pierced through the back his plate carrier. A pained gasp escaped his mouth as he dropped on the ground with a heavy thud.

"Suwabe!" She screamed with terror in her voice.

She crawled to the wounded veteran as quickly as her body allowed to. The bullet have cleanly penetrated the kevlar plates and entire width of his torso, leaving a gruesome and sizeable exit wound, just beneath his heart.

"no, no, no, no..." She whispered in a crazed state, reaching for his first aid kit and trying to stop the bleeding in despair.

Suwabe heaved and whined in agony, his eyes almost blank from any emotion. His breathing was irregular and weak, his coughs spat out blood and pieces of his own flesh. With all of his might and willpower, he turned himself over and laid on his back, his cold dying eyes perking up to her.

His right hand reached out to hers, shakily grasping their hands together, "Tell... tell my... little s-sis-ter... that I'm...sorry..."

His grasped hand slowly and silently fell off of hers. Rika closed her eyes and gave a soft kiss on his forehead, taking his dog tags with her. She wordlessly stood up and rejoined with the rest of her company, withdrawing back to Cobalt District.

A enemy tank shell hit side of the bridge, throwing two American soldiers off the passageway and into the canal. A Stryker APC started to slide off the destroyed ledge before chunks of the bridge collapsed, sending the armoured vehicle and its crew into the water, forever trapping and drowning the unfortunate soldiers in its metallic husk.

She ran past the combat engineers, taken aback by the sheer damage these men and women took from the artillery strikes; most were either dead or gravely wounded, screaming out in pain and to their mothers or God. But there weren't enough medics for them, let alone to evacuate them. The enemy was upon them in a matter of minutes, their digimon allies that acted as the rear guard were wiped out, slaughtered by the unending waves of Metal Empire troops.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see PFC Uchida prompting himself up against a destroyed Komatsu LAV. He held in his hands the detonator to the explosive charges. She stopped dead in her tracks and made a beeline to him.

"Uchida!" She cried sternly, as if chastising the trooper, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

The soldier looked at her with surprised eyes before softening and grinned weakly, "I volunteered to take over their place," He nudged his head casually to two dead engineers, almost with a humorous chuckle, "I figured... with them out of the picture, I might as well take the task for them, it's a simple enough task, just a push of a button, heh,"

"what...?" Rika muttered, confused and frustrated.

"Besides, it's not like I'm in a better shape either..." He commented while nonchalantly showing his dismembered left leg and third degree burns that almost covered half of his body, "Don't worry about me, ma'am," He reassured her with a sad smile, "If I have to die, I want to die on my own terms,"

"Damn your death wish, you're coming with me!"

"No, I won't!" He snapped back angrily, startling his own squad leader, "Sorry... but I will have to disobey your orders from on. Taking me will only slow you down, get us killed and the enemy crossing the bridge, we can't let them have that..." He sighed deeply and yanked his dog tags off around his neck, "Take 'em and remember me... and tell the others to live. Live to fight another day. Live for yourselves... Nonaka-san," He threw his dog tags at her and drew out his sidearm.

"I highly advise that you keep moving, sergeant,"

Silently, she took out her portable radio set, changed its settings and gave it to him, "Make sure that everyone hears your voice,"

He laughed in a bittersweet tone, "Am I really that obvious of a weeb wannabe?"

She smiled, and reluctantly, respected his wishes and ran to safety. Reaching friendly lines, the soldiers waited anxiously as the invaders set foot on the bridge, keeping up with the assault. The company's radio set tuned to life, Uchida's proud voice echoing loudly.

"This is Private First Class Uchida Maaya, from First Platoon, Second Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, First Division. Signing off!"

With a push of a button, the bridge exploded in a fiery and epic spectacle, the entire middle section caved in and brought everyone on the bridge into the depths of the canal. The invaders were halted in their assault. They were shortly pushed back by counter artillery strikes, tank barrages and precision air strikes.

Though a minor victory, there were no cheers or cry of victory. It was a pyrrhic victory for the coalition but it didn't end the war nor did it change in their favour. They were just stalling the Zone's eventual conquest.

Kingsbridge Intercontinental Airport, 1628 hours.

Thunder rumbled angrily above the city, rain poured heavily from the blackened clouds as they rolled in, looming over the battlefield. Cool winds blew through the streets and buildings; the fires from the burning ruins and vehicle husks were extinguished, leaving faint plumes of dark sickening smoke in the air. The temperatures have dropped suddenly, winter came earlier than predicted.

Caught off guard by the abrupt change of weather, both sides have ceased most combat operations, a few gunshots could be heard echoing from the urban jungle of the city, small skirmishes still occurred but the artillery cannons were silent that day and the sky was clear of raging dogfights.

In a way, though they hated the cold humidity, the men were grateful of this unannounced cease fire, it allowed them to rest and regroup. However rest could be dangerous for the mind for it allowed them to think and relive these past few, intense and violent days. The friends they've lost, the corpses they've witnessed, the sheer ferocity of the battles... the cries of the dying.

Rika silently observed the medical teams carrying their critical wounded into the C-130J "Super Hercules". They would be airlifted back to Camp Dawnstar where they would get better medical treatment and, if the need arises, evacuated back to Japan. Another Super Hercules was also getting cargo from dozens of soldiers. The cargo were the temporary coffins of their dead, the soldiers carried their fallen comrades solemnly, deliberately walking at much slower cadence under the heavy rain fall.

"Sergeant..." Ryo called her softly as not to disturb some of the soldiers sleeping against the hangar's wall, "The lieutenant wants to see you," He explained with a nod of his head, pointing at their platoon commander's 'office'.

She nodded quietly and got herself back up. She fetched her rifle and helmet and walked towards the officer. Lieutenant Hongo sat on his cot, hunched over with his face in his hands. Things went terribly back on the bridge, their company have suffered the most during their last ditch effort to stall the enemy's advance on the artificial island. Shortly after they blew up the bridge, all IDDF were to pull back to the airport, leaving the defence to their digimon allies.

Though he ignored the reasoning behind the order, it did allow their company commander to assess the company's current strength. Which didn't bear great news. The company was hit the hardest in the whole regiment, they were down to about forty-five percent of their original strength, which translated to over a hundred casualties; KIA and WIA.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Nonaka asked monotonously as she entered the officer's tent.

He perked up and cleared his throat, standing up and rearranged his coyote tee-shirt. He gestured to the foldable chair beside her, "Please, take a seat, sergeant," He grabbed a large reinforced container and sat on it.

"I have some news for you and your squad... I don't know if it qualifies as good or bad, that'll be up to you to decide," He warned in a serious tone, "Our recent assessment of the company have concluded that we're beginning to be combat ineffective. Our platoon was especially more hit than others. Your squad in particular have lost too many in a short period of time..." He paused and stared at Rika, gauging her reaction so far. She seemed to be fully aware of the losses she suffered but he could tell that she still felt tense, perhaps anger or sadness? Depression or guilt? He couldn't figure it out yet.

"I decided to recommend to the captain to award two of your bravest soldiers: Private First Classes Suwabe and Uchida for courage and their actions that went above the call of duty; they will get the recognition that they deserve,"

Rika arched her brows in surprise, this was certainly not what she expected from this conversation. She was taken aback and felt uncomfortable; awarding her dead soldiers for bravery? What was he thinking? She thought in a flash of anger, "You think they cared about medals? That it would be enough to compensate their losses for their grieving families?!" She bit her tongue and exhaled heavily.

"I've also recommended that the platoon will cease future combat operations until we can replenish our numbers and the captain seemed to be more inclined to have the whole company on standby from any combat ops. We will be leaving soon and we will probably go back home sooner than expected," He stated in crestfallen tone, "I'm... I'm sorry for the losses in your squad... I shouldn't have designated your squad to such risky missions,"

"what?" Rika mumbled suddenly.

Hongo swallowed down loudly, "W-well, you were my best elements, that is why I've always chosen your squad for the toughest missions, but that also meant exposing you and your men to greater danger... I wish I could've-" He shook his head weakly, "Never mind... tell your squad to pack up, we're leaving for 2300 hours," He rubbed his face and sighed heavily, "You may dismiss, sergeant,"

Rika nodded and rigidly stood up, leaving the lieutenant without a salute or saying a single word. She wandered aimlessly in the airport, deep in her thoughts without acknowledging the soldiers around. She found herself a small, dark corner in a hallway and looked at both directions before she immediately collapsed on her knees, a hand covering her mouth as she shut her eyes tightly, letting go hot streams of tears tracing down her red and puffed cheeks. She screamed and cried into her hand, releasing all of her pent up emotions. She violently punched the concrete wall with her other hand, smashing her fist against the cold hard surface until it was numb with pain, not caring if she had broken her fingers or not.

She curled up to a ball and leaned on the wall, sobbing quietly into her arms. She couldn't take it any more, she has reached her limit. She tried so hard to keep up a brave face for her men but the losses were taking a psychological toll. Her mental state bordered to depression and hysteria. These past few days, she didn't sleep nor eat well, haunted by the intense firefights and the screams of the dead. The faces of her fallen squad mates etched deep in her mind.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, trembling, "I'm sorry..."

Hazelmoor, 1810 hours.

DarkKnightmon has gathered all of his generals and colonels to the command post, joining them were the three Storm Commanders and Major Tactimon. They were all gathered to discuss of their plan of action regarding the capture of the remaining two districts of Kingsbridge. After the destruction of the first bridge, the assault was abruptly halted. Attempts to rebuild the bridge or to cross the canal were immediately squandered by the defenders swift and stiff resistance. The humans' artillery and air supports were their biggest threat.

"How about an amphibious assault? We could get the Navy to provide us fire support while we send in the marines from the north west while the Army bombards their defensive lines," Suggested colonel Blitzgreymon, "With two major assaults going as one, the resistance would simply fall by sheer pressure,"

"The Navy couldn't provide us with such fire support since they can be easily repelled by air-to-surface missiles and human cruise missiles, not to mention the Royal Knights can easily destroy a quarter of our naval force," Raijinmon countered as a matter-of-fact.

"Indeed, and with two major assaults, we would suffer heavy casualties that we can't spare. These losses will bite our rear once the opposition regroups and launches a counter-attack," Darkknightmon added contemplatively.

"Than why not sending in the 'Black Brigade'?" Colonel Tigervespamon asked curiously.

"Because the Emperor doesn't want to use his precious clone army yet," Fujinmon answered cynically.

"Fujinmon..." Suijinmon chastised with an elbow bump to his back.

The youngest Storm Commander ignored his friend and stared back at the other officers wilfully, aware that most officers didn't like nor wanted to work with him. Fujinmon was the latest member of the Storm Commanders and he was recruited from a vassal state that once rebelled against the empire... and he was one of many commanders to have led the rebellion.

Chaosdramon would pardon and recruit him to the D-Brigade after his capture due to his impressive combat and tactical skills. Such talents would be a waste in a prison. Since then, Fujinmon fought in the emperor's name. However he was also the more troublesome commander of the three. Independent, rebellious and unorthodox, he often clashed with other Metal Empire officers and his loyalty to the emperor questioned on many occasions. Unfortunately for his bitter rivals, they couldn't get rid of him so easily since he gave significant results and his soldiers were fiercely loyal to him, even more than to their emperor.

That is why Suijinmon and Raijinmon were tasked with keeping him under control and on his best behaviour whenever they needed to cooperate with the Army or the Navy.

Darkknightmon sighed and shook his head, breaking the tense silence between the officers, "The Black Brigade is currently put on reserve, it should only be used as a last resort since it also included experimental weaponry and equipment in its arsenal," He pointed out straightforwardly. "Also, must I remind you all that I am the commanding officer of this theatre of war? I have the final say on what our next plan of action will be and I have the final word. Is that clear?"

"Yes, General!" They replied unanimously.

"Very well. Air reconnaissance images suggest that the humans are in the process of pulling out of this conflict," He stated while setting down various aerial images shot from their recon missions, "As you can see, they've withdrawn most of their forces back to the airport, leaving their allies to hold the line,"

"We can use their withdrawal to our advantage," Suijinmon proposed pensively, observing an image.

"That is correct. We will use the cover of darkness and the rain to close the gap and disable their ability to use artillery and air supports on their own,"

"Hmm, their artillery batteries is our biggest threat. By closing the gap, we've taken that problem out of the equation," Fujimon paused then looked back at the Division-General, "Where do you want us to be?"

"The D-Brigade will launch an amphibious assault on Cobalt District and capture it. The Army will provide artillery support. Major Tactimon and his commandos will infiltrate by the canal to secure and hold the last bridge, eventually linking up with the D-Brigade and granting us access to the Pine District," Darkknightmon finalised the plan confidently.

"I suppose that we're going to have to distract the enemy and await the special forces to capture the bridge," Raijinmon guessed correctly.

"Exactly. The Army will begin with an artillery barrage, providing the D-Brigade enough time and cover to cross the canal and secure a beachhead. Once the beachhead secured, our engineers will deploy a temporary bridge. You will then regroup with the commandos and push deeper into Pine District. I estimate that the enemy's morale will crumble once we set foot on the last district. Are there any questions?"

He observed the officers and confirmed their silence as an acknowledgement to the mission and they were ready carry it out.

Cobalt District, Kingsbridge, 0012 hours.

The city was eerily quiet despite the downpour. The thick clouds covered the world's moon, basking the region in darkness and fog. No stars could be observed due to the plumes of toxic smoke in the air, no natural light could shine through the smog. Slowly and silently, the elite soldiers of the D-Brigade brought their inflatable boats on the shore and board in. There were dozens of such boats about to make the perilous crossing of the canal under the cover of darkness but with little to no cover if they were to be spotted. The weather and time weren't with them, the rain would soon pass on and let the moon light shine through. The first wave began their trek, anxiously paddling their way toward the Cobalt District shoreline. The current was strong, shoving them away from their objective.

They paddled harder, making more noise than they would've preferred. Raijinmon quietly observed their progress, a pair of night-vision binoculars held up to his eyes. His fellow Storm Commanders stood beside him in silence, witnessing the operation going smoothly so far.

Raijinmon visibly flinched when a boat turned over in the middle of the canal, all eight soldiers fell with a loud splash, their surprised cries breaking the thin veil of silence. The drowned soldiers began to swim back to friendly lines, making more sounds and getting chastised by the passing boats.

"Tell everyone to shut the hell up!" He ordered his personal radio operator rudely, "God damn idiots!" He muttered angrily.

Despite the loud ruckus, not a single enemy soldier cared to check the noise. He figured that they were probably sleeping or too lazy to care. Which was a good sign, that meant that their fighting spirit was weak.

As the first wave reached the shoreline, the soldiers jumped off and started to pull their boats in, distributing weapons and ammo. All of the sudden, searchlights beamed up, blinding the amphibious force. Not a second too soon, machine gun fire erupted across the line, mortar and tank shells pounded the canal, decimating the first two waves in seconds.

"Contact on the shoreline!" They heard an enemy soldier shouted with urgency.

"Damn it!" Suijinmon cursed while slamming a fist on the ground, "Call in the artillery strikes! Now!"

The radio operators relayed their orders, sending pre-designated coordinates to the rear line where mobile artillery batteries awaited for the signal to strike. The guns sang in a chaotic and earthshaking cacophony, pounding the defenders' positions. In retaliation, the defenders launched their counter artillery strikes, managing to disable three guns. However the worst in about to come, as in the dark night sky, a MQ-20 Avenger drone hovered over the city, cameras acquired on their targets through thermal lenses.

Although the drone had a vast array of deadly and accurate arsenal, it was also the only one in the air. Instead of providing an active support on the battlefield, it is used passively, scouting out and mapping out enemy positions for their ground artillery and their manned aircraft.

Already twelve minutes into the firefight, the first air strikes arrived, their jet engines rumbled and rolled in the clouds like an incoming typhoon. The two F-35 A multi-role fighters released their guided air-to-surface bombs over the enemy rear line as they soared over the city, scoring a crippling blow to the Metal Empire, destroying a dozen of artillery guns, reserve units and an untold amount of ammunition, fuel and medical supplies.

Yet despite their staggering losses, the D-Brigade braved through the strong currents, the rain of mortar shells, the barrage of bullets and reached the first defensive line, meeting their enemy up close and personal.

"This is Juno 8-1! The Alpha line has collapsed! We're retreating to line Beta! We can't hold much longer!" Came the panicked cry of a digimon radio transmitter.

The British paratroopers of C company, 3 PARA readied their weapons and provided cover fire for their retreating allies. Their sister companies, A and B Company, were also deployed on the island as the rear guard for the IDDF. As soon as the second defensive line seemed to be lost, they would all full back to the airport to be evacuated as planned by their commanders.

"All right, chaps! As much as you all want to go home, the enemy decided to fuck up our evening. How 'bout we give 'em a nice 'ol kick in their balls? Show them how we Brits greet our guests!" Their company sergeant declared eagerly.

"Yes sir!" They replied with excitement, ready and determined to put a halt in the enemy's advance.

"Targets, front! Two hundred meters!" One of the machine gunners yelled.

The British paratroopers opened fire immediately, showering the enemy with a barrage of bullets and explosives shells. While the humans fired upon the D-Brigade troops from the buildings, their digimon allies regrouped and held their line on the streets, facing the enemy head on in brutal melee.

Anti-tank weapons team and sniper teams were set up on rooftops and tall buildings, eliminating heavier targets and their leaders, effectively demoralising the enemy. However it was short-lived, for their artillery managed to scrap up enough rounds and zeroed in on key locations, launching precision strikes and wiping out IDDF heavy weapons emplacements. Entire squads vanished under the unrelenting barrages of the Metal Empire Army.

"This is... Hussar 5-2, my men are KIA... We've been overrun... most IDDF units are retreating... requesting a drone strike on … my position... Line Beta is compromised..."

The sergeant let out a heavy breath, throwing the radio to the side. He was severely wounded: his right leg was completely blown off, he bled profusely through his ears, nose and mouth, he could feel several of his bones shattered and could feel that his internal organs were ruptured and drowning him in his own blood. He heaved him over the window sill, breathing heavily as he dragged his battered body and the L135A1 anti-materiel rifle. He shouldered the rifle, pulled the bolt carrier back and checked in that it was fed with the M211 HEIAP round, a specialised .50 BMG round with armour piercing and high explosive incendiary capabilities. This particular round has been proven to be very deadly to most digimon, it can even one shot a Mega-level at centre mass.

The elite sniper took in a deep breath, his sight set on his target, his index slowly pulling on the trigger. He adjusted the cross hair on his target's head, a large red machine digimon. He breathed out slowly and finally pulled the trigger, the rifle kicked hard into his shoulder, letting out a final defiant roar as dust and ash washed over the man.

The round flew out of the barrel, soaring above the enemy soldiers, speeding across the air as it closed in on its target almost instantly.

"Sir!" Commander SaintGalgomon shouted as he flew in front of his commanding officer.

Suijinmon turned around just as he witnessed his most trusted officer get his head blown off into multiple parts and scrap metal, blood and oil splashed over his left pauldron. The behemoth of a digimon disappeared into a cloud of data before he could hit the ground. Shock took over the Storm Commander, taken aback by the sheer brutality of a single bullet that would've meant his demise. He quickly scanned the buildings around him and spotted the enemy sniper. Just as he was about to launch his attack, the human fired a second round. He deftly dodged to the side but he wasn't fast enough, the round perforated and detonated in his left shoulder, dislocating the joint and rendering his left arm useless and limp. Sparks of electricity and blood spilled out of sizeable gunshot wound. Suijinmon growled in pain, gritting his teeth and glaring at the sniper's direction. Before he could return fire, the building was suddenly levelled by an aerial bomb, wiping out the sniper and a platoon of infantry that just breached the building.

"He... he willingly bombed himself and took more with him..." He thought in disbelief and dread. Never has he imagined that the humans were capable of such suicidal actions. They were getting even more desperate but also more aggressive and determined. He feared that the worst has yet to come.

"Gunner! HEAT! FIRE!"

"ON THE WAY!"

"Target, cease fire! Next target, next target, tank, traverse left!"

"Identified, on the way!"

"Doubtful! Gunner, Sabot, tank, fire!"

"On the way!"

"This is Wolverine 1-4, line Gamma has been compromised! Dozens of foot mobiles in the AO! Requesting reinforcements!"

Marines of Alpha and Bravo companies formed an armoured convoy with a squadron of US Army Abrams tanks taking the lead. Attached with them was a mixed platoon of Japanese and Belgian Special Forces Groups, tasked with retaking the bridge while the Marines and tanks provided fire support.

Approaching the bridge that linked Pine District with Cobalt District, they were immediately met with heavy enemy fire. Artillery shells slammed into buildings, pummelled the street, forcing the convoy to an abrupt halt.

"Everyone disembark!" Raymond shouted through the radio, "Cover fire for the special forces! Push up!"

The Marines got off their vehicles and formed two columns of fire, egressing towards the enemy position. They were holed up in three different buildings, overlooking the main road and the bridge. The SFG operators dispersed and weaved through the side alleys, flanking their targets from the sides while the Marines distracted them. The lead tank abruptly erupted when a missile punch on top of its turret, the shells cooked and detonated from within, sending the charred husk that was the turret ten meters into the air. An intense pillar of fire sprung out of the chassis, temporarily brighten up the hectic firefight in the street.

"Fuck! Pop a forty mike-mike smoke and advance!" Sullivan shouted sternly, "I want machine guns suppressing those motherfuckers!"

The Marines complied accordingly, machine gun teams were set up in ruined buildings and started to open fire, their tracer rounds helped identified the enemy positions. Grenadiers launched smoke grenades into the street, letting the cloud of white smoke to spread and cover their advance.

The tanks pushed aside the charred carcass of the Abrams and pushed forward with the Bradley and LAV-25 IFVs. The armoured support lit up the enemy positions, allowing the infantrymen to advance towards the bridge. Unfortunately, enemy resistance was stiffer than expected. As the first column of Marines were about to breach into one of the target buildings, the enemy commandos dropped a specialised grenade on top of the breaching team. The grenade detonated, a bright light flashed, thick white smoke enveloped the four-man team. The others stepped back, shocked by the sudden attack, then they heard their fellow Marines scream in agony. The men walked out of the smoke caked in some sort of white powder that hissed and chewed through their flesh. Their blood-curdling yells echoed loudly through the cacophony of the firefight, the affected Marines haphazardly tossed themselves around, seemingly dancing around before dropping dead on the street, their barely lifeless corpse twitching as the chemical powder kept eating through the charred flesh and bones.

"Pull back!" Their squad leader shouted, "Pull back! Get a LAV and waste those fuckers!"

While the Marines and their armoured support laid waste to enemy infantry and cavalry, the Japanese SFG, led by a First Lieutenant Yamashita, approached their target building with speed and silence. Their American allies were taking the brunt of the attack for their sake, time was of the essence to recapture and hold the bridge until they could retake Cobalt District or blow up the last bridge.

The building was a three-story café, its red brick walls and wide window store front were surprisingly intact, only tainted by a few bullet holes and scorch marks. The café was located at the corner of a street, overlooking the bridge and the river. It was a perfect spot for a sniper or machine gun nest since it also had a rooftop. It is tragic that the twelve-men team of British artillery spotters and early warning team were eliminated by enemy commandos.

The point-man slowly opened the front doors, scanning the large dining room before pushing in, the rest of his squad-mates followed suit, dispersing and combing the room until it was deemed secured. They stacked up and pushed up through the winding stairway. They knew that from here on things would get ugly. They went up against similarly trained special forces, masters of unconventional warfare and controlled chaos. What was supposedly to be the average infantryman's job to secure buildings, the evacuation of all IDDF in the region have greatly diminished their available manpower. Re-seizing control of the bridge would buy time for the humans to be evacuated.

The point-man meekly marched up the wooden steps, minding his footfalls so he wouldn't produce too much noise. The stairway began to turn sharply right, he re-shouldered his SCAR-L assault rifle so that the barrel wouldn't protrude out too much when clearing a tight angle. Swiftly, he leaned to the left and into the corner. Time seemed to slow down as the rifle's laser sight landed on the chest of a Sealsdramon, their weapon already propped up and trained on the man. A silent duel ensued between to two operators, like cowboys from an old western, the man with the quickest draw will survive. The human pulled the trigger, the assault rifle rattled once into his right shoulder, he felt his left ankle bent at an odd angle, prompting gravity to pull him to the ground; in this case, the staircase. His eyes flashed wide open as the digimon's weapon flashed as well, for a split second, he thought he was done for, killed with a bullet to the head... but the encounter was more bizarre and fortunate for him.

Indeed, in the ensuing duel, as he pushed to the side to dodge the shot, he slipped and fell, hitting his helmet covered head hard against the red brick wall. At the same time, when he pulled the trigger, the round pierced through the digimon's left forearm, staggering the enemy commando and prompting to miss his head by a hair's length.

The Sealsdramon cursed and redrew his carbine and was immediately peppered by 5.56mm rounds to the chest.

"Push! Push! Push!" Yamashita urged his men. They pushed forward, stepping over the stunned and baffled point-man and engaged the remaining enemy squad in the secondary dining room. "On your feet, Haruto!" He commanded sternly while lifting the man with one hand.

"I'm alive..?" Haruto commented, mouth slightly agape.

"How's your ankle?"

Haruto moved his left ankle around and winced instantly, "Damn... I think its busted, sir," He replied sheepishly.

"Well better having a broken ankle than in a body bag. Your stupidity saved your life," Yamashita chuckled before joining the fray.

"Plasma shoot!"

A swarm of plasma rockets flew out of his armoured shoulder pods. The warheads shot straight up into the air before plummeting and bounding on top of the enemy formations. A series of bright green and blue explosions ripped through their ranks, decimating and inflicting horrific burns to their wounded.

"Here they come, lads!" Dynasmon hollered above the company of DSF and Order Strike Force soldiers.

The digimon formed a tight rectangular formation, blocking the street and barring the D-Brigade passage to the bridge. At the fore front and centre of the formation was Craniamon, his shield, Avalon, raised in front of him as he braced for incoming enemy fire. The D-Brigade troopers, only a hundred meters from them, returned fire in kind. They advanced and fired in volleys, pinning the coalition in place as they closed the gap. From above, Magnamon rained missiles and energy beams on the infantry, thinning out the wave while Examon eliminated their officers and heavy support units with precision strikes.

"Stand your ground! Hold!" Craniamon shouted sternly, peering over his shield to watch the enemy creeping towards them. He waited for the right distance to launch their counter-charge, with the right momentum and power, they'll be able to push back the enemy wave and stall them in place, denying them the use of artillery support. "Hold!"

"They're awfully close, sire!" A DSF soldier quipped with worry.

"Not yet! Steady!" Another volley fire showered them, taking out a handful of his soldiers in the ranks, the wounded screaming in agony. He could sense some of the DSF troopers' will faltering, either to retreat or too eager to fight the enemy head-on. "Hold your formation damn it!"

At about fifty meters, the enemy lined up and fired their last volley. Just as they were about to regroup and attack, Craniamon decided to launch his own attack.

"Dynasmon!"

"Right! Dragon's Roar!" Dynasmon flew over the soldiers and raised two hands at the enemy line, firing two powerful energy beams. The bright fluorescent beams slammed violently into their ranks, instantly deleting half a dozen and wounding more in its wake.

"Attack!" The dark violet Royal Knight bellowed passionately, leading his troops into combat.

The formations charged with a resonant battle cry that even challenged the cacophony of rifle and machine gun fire. The D-Brigade quickly regrouped and charged back, bayonets and melee weapons at the ready. The two armies clashed violently, with Craniamon's forces gaining the upper hand, managing to push back the enemy wave before grinding them to a bloody halt.

While the front has been halted, the rear were busy surviving incoming air attacks and taking out a trio of Royal Knights that landed in the thick of their formation. Dynasmon, Ulforceveedramon and Rhodoknightmon have purposefully jumped behind enemy lines and wreak havoc in their ranks. Though outnumbered and surrounded, they were Royal Knights for a reason, each of them was a one-man army, their mastery of their skills and years of training and combat experience were once more proven on the battlefield. They moved and weaved around each other seamlessly, effectively covering each others' backs while slicing, hacking, punching and slamming through the enemy.

Raijinmon observed from afar with ire and bewilderment, his right azure eye twitching with irritation. His grip around the pair of binoculars tightened until they were easily crushed like paper. The Storm Commander simply cannot believe his eyes at the current situation he was literally facing. His brigade, part of the D-Brigade, were stopped by a company of digimon soldiers, six Royal Knights and about a platoon's worth of humans. Dealing with the Royal Knights was already a pain in the ass and he was woefully aware and conscious of that, but the humans were a thorn... no, they were needles that kept stabbing under his skin. He detested them to the core. They were supposed to be weak fleshy things yet here they are devastating the best, the elite, of the Metal Empire's Armed Forces. Stalled by mere humans; sure the DSF and the Royal Knights contributed to the opposition force but he greatly underestimated the IDDF's will to fight. A mistake that he would not repeat.

"Fujinmon, take a company with you and flank from the East to support the special forces," He instructed coldly, his mind pacing and calculating for his next course of action.

"On it," The slender emerald digimon replied monotonously before taking off into the sky.

"Suijinmon, get your armoured platoons to push and reinforce my brigade. I want your mobile AA batteries focus fire on Magnamon and Examon."

"What are you going to do?" The ape-like machine digimon asked inquired.

"I'm going in with my shock troopers and take out the three Royal Knights at our rear line. You could join in if you want,"

"Well count me in then," Suijinmon replied with a greedy smirk.

From the other side of the battlefield, Shoutmon observed the situation that has unfolded before him. The IDDF evacuating couldn't have come at the worst possible moment, already half of their forces were gone and a third was combat ready and deployed, fiercely fighting to regain control of the bridge. Meanwhile, the Royal Knights have organised a last stand on Cobalt District, buying the humans enough time to evacuate their own while desperately waiting for air support. From the looks of it, the humans were having a hard time retaking the bridge while the Royal Knights and their forces were getting cut to pieces, their numbers dwindling rapidly as they were effectively cut off from the main force.

The king have already ordered general OchiMusyamon to scramble a quick reaction force to reinforce the Royal Knights and the DSF. Though the battle for Kingsbridge seemed to be lost, they've managed their primary objective: evacuate the civilians. Now they only need to buy the population enough time to cross the borders before they exfiltrate. The humans plan to send bombers over the city in a strategic bombing. That translated to carpet bomb the city to oblivion in the hopes of wiping out most of the D-Brigade and their Storm Commanders, such losses would be a heavy blow to enemy morale.

Dorulumon stood beside him, waiting his friend's signal to launch their attack. The canine-like digimon still sported his dark combat glasses while also donning armour plating around his torso. The steel digizoid plates only covered his vital parts, the rest were covered in leather to hold the armour in place.

A Pegasusmon flew in behind them, skidding to a stop before his king and bowed his head, "Your Majesty, our forces are ready to depart. We are waiting for your order, sire," He reported dutifully.

"Excellent," Shoutmon nodded with a pleasant grin, "The light cavalry and infantry would provide enough support while OchiMusyamon gathers the brunt of our forces to retake Cobalt District,"

"Light infantry as well?" Dorulumon spoke up curiously, "Shouldn't we wait for rest of our infantry in that case?"

"No, our allies need reinforcements and we need to provide them fast, waiting for the main force to advance would simply waste too much time, which we don't have much of," He explained frankly, "The vanguard would be enough to hold on its own if the Royal Knights collapsed. Oh, and I'm joining the battle as well,"

"Are you sure that is wise, Shoutmon," Dorulumon asked concernedly, "Why don't you just let me lead them instead,"

"Don't worry, our mission will simply be to hold the line long enough for the rest of our forces to push back. Our human friends will unfortunately not join us for that part, so you need all the firepower and manpower you can get,"

His friend sighed in defeat, reluctantly conceding to his plan, "So let's get to it," He announced while approaching Dorulumon's side.

The quadrupedal digimon took a few sudden steps back, eyeing the short red dragon suspiciously, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting on top of you," Shoutmon answered as naturally as he breathed, "We need to get there with haste, Dorulumon,"

"Oh no, no, no, I'm not going to ride you to battle," Dorulumon denied him with determination.

"Aw come oooon!" Shoutmon crossed his arms over his chest, "Why not?" He asked childishly.

"Because it is embarrassing and humiliating for me!"

"What? Nonsense! We look badass and it'll inspire our troops. Dorulumon, we're NOT going to argue about this. You know well that this is our thing-"

"It wasn't and there's no such thing as 'our thing', Shoutmon. Stop being immature about this," Dorulumon scolded him like a mother would to her child.

"Of course there was!" Shoutmon countered defiantly, "Like Ballistamon and I have the 'get help' , that was our thing,"

"If you so desperately need a ride, why not Pegasusmon over there?" The digimon in question stared at the two bickering in disbelief, feeling suddenly overwhelmed now that their attention was turned to him.

"Uh um..." Was all that the winged horse could muttered intelligently.

"Well yeah but you know that our thing does have an actual tactical advantage, like it makes a difference on the battlefield,"

"And it does look cooler," Pegasusmon added honestly, earning a 'thank you' from Shoutmon.

"Okay first of all, you," Dorulumon glared at Pegasusmon, "Shut up, you are not in this conversation to begin with, and two..." He faced Shoutmon, "I will not ride you into battle and that is my final word."

Moments later, Shoutmon rode on Dorulumon's back, leading the counter-attack with the rest of the light cavalry and infantry force.

"This is the last time!" Dorulumon thought to himself angrily, a promise that he already made the last time he rode Shoutmon to battle.

Another Marine dropped beside him, "Aaaah! I'm fucking hit!" The man screamed in pain and panic. Kudo quickly grabbed him by his plate carrier dragged him behind cover. He made a quick medical assessment, prodding his fingers around the crying wounded Marine in search of an exit wound. He looked at his hands, covered in dirt and ash, sure, but not blood. The Marine was screaming and there wasn't an exit wound, he concluded that he would survive.

"Corpsman! Corpsman!" A Navy Corpsman soon answered his call, sliding beside the duo and inquiring the wounded's situation, "Gunshot wound to the chest, no exit wounds and still breathing!" He shouted to the medical professional.

"Alright, leave him to me," The corpsman replied absent-mindedly, already focused on his patient while ignoring the explosions and bullets flying over him.

Kudo hummed and re-shouldered his rifle, firing into their target building, a travel agency office block that had an advantageous view on the bridge and the road. The enemy commandos have set up multiple machine gun nests as well as sniper teams and anti-tank weapons. They've already destroyed another tank and a Bradley, effectively blocking the path to the armoured support.

"Okay, we've got the all clear to blow the building up!" 2nd LT Browning announced to his platoon, "Howell, take two pax with you and waste those fuckers with the SMAW!"

"Copy that!" CPL Howell shouted in response, tagging two Marines with him as they retrieve the platoon's anti-tank weapons.

The MK 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, or SMAW for short, was the Marines' primary bunker buster and capable to be an effective anti-tank weapon as well. The Marines loaded the launchers with the 83mm Novel Explosive(NE) which were thermobaric munitions, which packed a more energetic punch in terms of destroying heavily fortified bunkers and caves. The SMAW and its variant rockets saw extensive use during the first two expeditions in the Digital World, proving to be much more reliable and deadly to digimon than the M72 LAW or the AT-4. Other effective launchers included the Carl-Gustaf Recoilless Rifle, the Panzerfaust-3 or the more advanced FGM-148 Javelin and MBT LAW to name a few.

These weapons gave a significant edge on the battlefield for the infantry platoon and any opposition force in the Digital World have already expressed their fear and hatred for these weapons.

"Target: office building to the far right, fourth and fifth floors, enemy machine gun nests, three hundred meters, fire when ready!" Browning instructed confidently.

The Marines hefted the launchers over their right shoulder, taking aim and adjusting their sight after clearing their backblast. When set on their designated target, Howell fired the first shot, followed by the second and third SMAWs. The rockets flew straight at their targets, detonating in the building. In split seconds, the warheads detonated on impact, releasing and dispersing fuel from its container, instantly igniting upon contact with the confined air, sucking in the oxygen, creating a deadly pressure wave before it went off to a powerful and fiery blast wave.

Almost instantaneously, the digimon occupants had their lungs and organs ruptured, their eardrums burst and crushed and their bodies burnt to a crisp and obliterated by the blast wave that engulfed the entire floors. Windows shattered and the building trembled violently as the thermobaric munitions destroyed entire sections of the building. Half of the building tumbled and collapsed on itself, crushing the remaining digimon commandos in the floors below it. A huge thick cloud of dust and ash enveloped the surrounding area and for a moment, silence reigned over the battlefield...before gunfire resumed after the cloud dissipated.

"All three buildings neutralized!" Capt. Raymond reported to LtCol. Richards through the radio.

"We're in business! Push forward, secure the bridge!" GySgt. Porter hollered with a fiery determination, inspiring the Marines around him to charge.

Their armoured support managed to regroup after going through another route (and inadvertently going through a couple of houses), lining up along the river to provide covering fire for their retreating comrades. The British paratroopers hauled ass across the bridge, carrying their weapons and collective equipment. Behind them were the Royal Knights and their rear guard unit, barely holding their ground, their numbers diminishing rapidly.

The paratroopers quickly joined the Marines and set up their firing positions, ready to cover fire for the rear guard. Raymond joined his men in the defence, peering into the ACOG of his rifle and observing the battle. Slowly, the rear guard trickled out of their formation, sprinting to friendly line as they begun their retreat.

"Don't retreat! Push forward!" They all heard a voice boomed behind them.

Raymond felt the wind rush over his head as he sensed a large presence jumping over him. He stared in bafflement and surprised, Shoutmon rode a top Dorulumon and straight towards the battle. Several more digimon either jumped over the line of humans or weaved through them, prompting their digimon allies to turn heel and back to the fight.

"What in the actual fuck...?" Raymond murmured in disbelief. He turned to his radio transmitter, "Get me Overlord, asap!" He ordered hurriedly. The LCpl that took over the company's radio post fumbled for a second before contacting their force commander. He passed the handset to the officer, "This is Alpha-Actual. We, uuuh... the king Shoutmon is currently leading a counter-offensive. Interrogative: what are your orders? Over."

"Alpha-Actual, can you confirm your last statement, over." Richards demanded, his voice as confused as he was.

"Overlord, I'm confirming my last statement: the king Shoutmon is leading a counter-offensive with about four-zero pax. Should we engage with them? Over."

"Alpha-Actual, uuuh... negative. Hold your position and await for further development. Strike Package Undertaker is still ongoing, current ETA: three-zero mike. Over."

Raymond's gaze hardened to a frown, his mouth morphed to a scowl. He wasn't comfortable nor did it feel right with him to stay in his position while their allies fought on. They've secured their primary objective and have the sufficient firepower and manpower to support.

"Overlord, requesting to send in our armoured support to assist our allies in retaking our lines, over." He proposed in protest. Richards wasn't surprised; he knew the man well enough to even predict his words and actions. Though he sympathised with him, their situation didn't warrant any possibility to such actions. They were in the middle of exfiltrating their forces, putting them back out on the frontline would only endanger more personnel and delay the evacuation process.

"Alpha-Actual, I will repeat: negative. Hold your position until our forces have exfiltrated the district. Do you copy, over."

"Jesus fu-" He cut himself, keeping his emotions in check and shook his head, "Uh, Alpha-Actual, copies all. Over and out." He gave back the handset and took in a deep breath.

"So, what did he say?" Sullivan asked curiously. Launching a counter-offensive was certainly not part of the plan; their previous orders were to hold the bridge until the bombers arrived to carpet bomb half of the city. It was even approved by the king himself so this sudden and unexpected action surprised everyone, the Royal Knights included.

"We're holding our ground until the air force arrives. They plan to level everything up to Cobalt District." Sullivan stared at him with wide eyes, surprised that their Battalion commander would give that order. Although he didn't know the Lieutenant-Colonel on a personal level, unlike Raymond, he knew for a fact that the two men shared the same mindset and values. So to receive the order to hold ground and basically wait out was out-of-character to him.

"Listen up!" Raymond hollered sternly at his Marines, "We will hold this bridge and cover our friends' flanks. You see anything that doesn't look human, you waste the son of bitch. Platoon leaders, relay your sectors of fire."

His orders went down the line, platoon leaders designated their sectors to their squad leaders which in turn marked their sectors of fire to the rest of their squads. Raymond watched reluctantly at the battle ahead of him.

"Overlord, this is Undertaker 1-Actual. We're approaching kill boxes 11, 12, 13, 21, 22 and 23 – ETA: five mikes," Came the calm and cold announcement of the pilot of one of the B-1B Lancer heavy bombers, "Requesting to confirm kill boxes. Over."

"One-actual, kill boxes confirmed. AO is clear of friendlies and the sky is open to you /break/ escorting you will be Raptor squadron – callsign Raptor 1-Actual – and Talon squadron – callsign Talon 5-Actual. How copy? Over." Richards relayed the instructions monotonously.

"Overlord. Solid copy on all. We'll bring in the pain from above. Undertaker 1-Actual out."

Three B-1B Lancers flew in a triangular formation, each bomber having their designated kill boxes. Their payload consisted of several dozens of unguided bombs ranging from the smaller, five hundred pound Mk-82 LDGP bombs to the heavier, plus two thousand pounds, Mk-84 general-purpose bombs. Armed to the teeth with such devastating payloads, they were tasked to flattened half of the city, taking with it over a third of the enemy invasion force currently fighting within the city ruins. Additionally, a secondary bombing strike will follow six minutes after their run, consisted of multiple squadrons of multi-role fighters from the US, British and Japanese air forces. The IDDF wanted to make sure that the Metal Empire would suffer massive casualties and broadcast it to the Digital World, thus launching informational warfare to the belligerent. This shock-and-awe tactic was aimed to reduce the morale and support from the Metal Empire's civilian population and her allies. It would also have the secondary effect of sending a message to anyone that dared to mess with the IDDF and the UN as a whole.

Though hesitant, the CNS finally conceded and approved the operation, without informing the Royal Knights of its true intentions. Codenamed: Lucifer's Hand, the operation had several contingency plans, including but limited to: bombing several towns and cities in the Metal Empire. The IDDF was being more aggressive, they wanted to break the enemy's will to fight and wanted to make sure that they dissuade any other states that even thought of engaging a conflict with the human world.

So it came as a surprised to generally everyone in the expeditionary force's command that it was concocted, signed and approved by the Japanese government and in extension the United Nations Security Council. It seemed that desperate times call for desperate measures.