Ch. 23: Clash of the Demon and the Shinigami
11:08 AM, January 5th, 1919, Somewhere in the mountains, South Hamgyŏng Province, Chōsen
The Northeastern province of South Hamgyŏng was heavily forested and mountainous. White snow covered the ground and the trees while the gray clouds covered the sky above. The temperature was way below the freezing point, which made the heavy gusts of wind so cold that it made your skin feel like it was being pierced by needles.
Within the heavily forested mountains was a large, open clearing. Within this open clearing was a large military base surrounded by a barbed-wired fence. There was one heavily guarded gate that led into the base while several wooden guard towers were set up all over the perimeter. The base consisted of barracks, a command post, communication center, several warehouses of supplies, an armory, and a small garage to hold the military's trucks.
Japanese soldiers wearing ushankas, gloves, boots, and brownish-green wool coats littered the base. Each one was carrying a rifle and keeping his eyes open for anything suspicious.
Inside the command center was Viceroy Hasegawa and Marshal Tōdō looking at a topographical map laying on a large table. Both men were also wearing their winter uniforms due to the weather.
"So it looks like the base you set up here is doing well." said Hasegawa.
"I've ensured my tracks have been covered, ensuring the secrecy of this base. Along with this weather, the Black Army won't be able to find us." replied Tōdō.
"For once you did something that actually could work." replied Hasegawa.
"Viceroy I wasn't the one who charged up hill and lost a bulk of his army to one man!" angrily responded Tōdō.
"At least I probably would've been able to catch a hijacked train!" Hasegawa angrily responded back.
"I thought you were here for an inspection Viceroy, not to insult me! Besides, as this Empire's best warrior, what makes you think you would be able to handle the situation better?!"
"Your the best according to whom? His Majesty? I'll let you know that I respect His Majesty's choices 100%, but that doesn't mean I think you're an overconfident fool!" yelled Hasegawa.
"Overconfident fool?! Well you are an arrogant, egotistical joke!" Tōdō yelled back.
Hasgeawa was about to pull out his pistol while Tōdō prepared to draw out his steel katana. However, both men were interrupted when a Japanese soldier covered in grease and oil wearing a winter uniform came into the room.
"Uhm...am I interrupting something?" asked the soldier.
"No you're not." answered both men simultaneously as they proceeded to withdraw their weapons.
"I just wanted to tell you both that we've just completed assembling the gift given to us by the British." said the soldier.
"It's completed. Wonderful. Now we can really show the Black Army and any future foe our ultimate power." said Hasegawa.
The soldier was then dismissed from the office.
"Tōdō we shouldn't be debating among ourselves like this. This is what Zero wants, internal strife, disorganization, and chaos. Zero and his band of soldiers are the enemy we need to concentrate on." said Hasegawa.
"Agreed." replied Tōdō. "Anyway it's amazing the military was able to convince the British to hand over their prototype."
"Well the recent war has caused the British government to go heavily into debt. As a result, they had to sell the project along with it's prototype to someone with money." said Hasegawa.
"I heard this new prototype has combined both British and recently acquired German designs. Said to potentially revolutionize warfare. What was the project called again?" asked Tōdō.
"The British codenamed the project Gawain, however now that it's in our hands, the project has been renamed Shinkirō." answered Hasegawa. "Hopefully we'll soon give it a test run and convince the higher ups to construct more."
Meanwhile various soldiers were patrolling the base or moving boxes of supplies and ammunition from building to another. Behind one of the warehouses were two Japanese soldiers talking to one another. A third soldier listened in on the conversation from behind the corner of the warehouse after he heard them talk about a secret project.
"Just heard from engineering department, they finished constructing that new prototype we got from the British. Do you know what it is?" asked the first soldier.
"Don't know. Everybody who's involved with it has been quiet about it. Even the truck carrying the parts was constantly guarded. In fact, they have guards posted around Warehouse #7 constantly. Can't get even near the place." said the second soldier.
"Well, whatever is in there, it's probably something special and powerful." responded the first soldier.
The two soldiers resumed patrolling the area while the third soldier quickly ran the other way. The third soldier, pretending to be patrolling the area when other soldiers or the guard towers could see him, walked to a secluded area behind one of the buildings on the edges of the base's perimeter. The fence, which already had a piece of it cut out in the shape of a hole, allowed the third soldier to secretly get out of the base and head into the woods.
The soldier ran through the woods as fast as he could. His boots kicked up snow into the air as he ran and the cold wind caused it to be blown back into his face, causing the soldier to squint his eyes. After about 10 minutes of traversing through the cold, the soldier arrived at another clearing.
The clearing consisted of several Black Army trucks carrying weapons and supplies. Several companies of soldiers, Korean and Russian, were wearing white, wool uniforms, boots, and gloves instead of the typical black uniforms they usually wear, were located in a nearby cave, where they were trying to warm up around the fire they had set up. Outside, also wearing white, winter uniforms, were Zero, General Jo, and General Rozhkov. The soldier running from the Japanese base suddenly appeared and ran towards them.
"Did you manage to scout out the enemy?" asked Zero.
"Yes...sir...I...did." said the soldier as he was panting. He then handed over Zero a sketching of the base, which included the positions of the guard towers and buildings. "Also...found out...the Japanese are keeping...whatever they got from the British...is in Warehouse #7."
"Excellent. You did well. You should rest now and warm up." replied Zero.
The exhausted, freezing soldier ran into the cave so he could get close to the fire.
"What's the plan now Zero?" asked General Rozhkov.
"Since we now have a general idea of the enemy's location, we can now position our forces in places where the Japanese are the weakest." Zero said. He then took out a map of the area and compared the two. "There's a high cliff West of the base. That will be a good position for artillery. The wooded areas to the Southwest will be great for a potential ambush."
Zero then continued explaining to his two generals the best positions on where to deploy there forces and how they were going to attack the base.
2:59 PM
Hasegawa and Tōdō were once again inside the command center looking over maps and planning their next move. Accompanying them was Lt. General Ikeda, who despite loosing the Battle of Heian-nan with Hasgeawa, was able to keep his rank, though he was transferred to the Northeastern regions to assist Hasegawa in the campaign against Russia.
"So if we move the three divisions from District 6 to District 23, then we should be able to control and secure the major roadways." suggested Ikeda.
"But District 6 will have one of it's flanks exposed to the enemy." added Tōdō.
"Then perhaps we should transfer two divisions from District 2 and one from District 35 to make up for the loss." suggested Hasgeawa.
"That sounds like a good idea." replied Ikeda.
"Though I personally have my doubts, it could potentially work." replied Tōdō.
The three commanders then put on their winter caps, coats, and gloves before proceeding to exit the command center. As they opened the door, a burst of cold air slammed into their faces, initially causing a shocking feeling to be felt. It quickly dissipated within a few seconds however.
All three were still discussing strategy and plans as they were walking towards the communication center. Suddenly a loud "KABOOOM!" pierced the air itself. The three commanders instantly covered their ears due to the deafening explosion.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" asked Tōdō.
"LOOK!" yelled Ikeda as he pointed forward.
Hasegawa, Tōdō, and Ikeda suddenly saw what was left of a guard tower along with burning debris all over. Suddenly they saw another guard tower blown to pieces as it was consumed by a large cloud of flames. Surprised soldiers could be heard reacting to the various incidents.
"SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THOSE TOWERS ARE DESTROYED?!" yelled Hasgeawa.
"My Lord!" yelled a Japanese officer running towards Hasgeawa. "It looks like the work of artillery. We think it's coming from the cliffs West of here."
"BOOOM!" could be heard once more as one of the barracks exploded into a bunch of burning pieces of wood.
"It has to be the work of the Black Army! Tōdō, YOU ASSURED ME YOUR TRAIL WAS COVERED!" yelled Hasegawa.
"I DID MAKE SURE! I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY FOUND US! THEY COULD'VE HAD SPIES OR THEY HAD BRIBED..." replied Tōdō.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW THEY FOUND OUT NOW! WHAT DOES MATTER IS STOPPING THEM BEFORE THEY CAUSE TOO MUCH DAMAGE! LT. GENERAL IKEDA! SEND IN A WHOLE BATTALION OUT WEST AND STOP THIS NONSENSE!" commanded Hasegawa at the top of his lungs.
"Yes my Lord!" said Ikeda as he bowed his head slightly before running off to gathering the battalion together.
Another explosion rippled through the air, causing snow and dirt to be flung all over.
"Tōdō! Stay here and defend our gaps!" yelled Hasegawa. "I'm heading to the West."
"Sir, I think I should be heading to the West!" said Tōdō.
"You're not going to take my glory like you did last time! This time the glory will be awarded to the one who truly deserves it!" replied Hasgeawa.
"Are you therefore challenging His Majesty's authority, because he's the only one I take commands from." replied Tōdō.
"His Majesty said you would assist me! As long as I'm still Viceroy, you are still under my control!" Hasegawa yelled back.
"Very well." said Tōdō grudgingly.
Hasegawa and Ikeda with a large battalion of soldiers proceeded to use a gap in the fence caused by an artillery shell to head Westward towards the cliffs. Tōdō and the remaining forces maintained the defensive, making sure the base was fully defended.
More snow and dirt flew into the air as shells peppered the ground. The battalion of soldiers heading Westward kept their distance away from one another in order to avoid incoming shells. Upon reaching the edge of the forests, the soldiers aimed their rifles forward so their bayonets were pointing in their direction. Ikeda then blew his whistle, telling the other soldiers to move forward. Carefully examining their surroundings, the soldiers cautiously walked through the snow-covered forest.
As they were moving forward, the Black Army, which blended into the environment due to their white winter uniforms, were in their hiding positions, observing the enemy slowly approaching them. When they were within firing range, the Black Army sprung out and shot a volley of bullets at the Japanese. Various Japanese soldiers suddenly fell dead or were wounded severely.
As a result, the Japanese soldiers fired back as the Black Army retreated to find a new hiding spot. Once they fired, the Japanese proceeded to charge forward with their bayonets ready to pierce anything.
A few artillery shells managed to strike the forest, causing trees to splinter into toothpick sized pieces. Some of these pieces hit the soldiers with such force that they pierced the clothing and skin of the soldiers.
Military Base Gate
The guards at the gate leading into the base were fully alert, awaiting for any surprises coming their way. Suddenly, the sound of a humming motor started to increase. Eventually the guards recognized it as the sound of a truck coming their way. Soon a military truck carrying some boxes was seen speeding towards the gate.
"HALT! SHOW IDENTIFICATION!" yelled one of the guards.
The truck however kept speeding towards the gate.
"STOP NOW! I REPEAT STOP!" yelled the guard.
The truck didn't slow down, and once they realized it wasn't slowing down, the guards at the gate immediately jumped away as the truck bashed right through the wooden gate. It then crashed into one of the barracks, where it finally came to a halt, despite the fact that the wheels kept spinning in place.
A dozen Japanese soldiers, armed and ready, surrounded the vehicle.
"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" yelled a Japanese colonel.
When no response was heard, the colonel ordered the men surrounding the truck to get closer and investigate it. One of the soldiers opened the truck door and was surprised to see no one driving it. He did however find a weight tied to the gas pedal, explaining why it was speeding despite there being no driver. Another soldier headed to the back to investigate the boxes.
"TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK" could be heard coming from one of the boxes. As a result, the curious soldier decided to open it. Inside were sticks of dynamite, pieces of broken glass, metal shards, and a homemade time-bomb.
"GET AWAY! THIS THING IS GOING TO..." yelled the soldier as the top of his lungs.
Suddenly the bomb went off, causing the dynamite to go off to. The resulting explosion killed anyone near the truck, while it caused the shards of metal and glass to be shot all over the place. All the other soldiers in the vicinity, including the colonel, found themselves bleeding to death due to being pierced by the glass and metal.
Towards the East, Zero and General Jo ordered the troops hidden in the woods to charge. Korean and Russian Black Army soldiers suddenly came out of their hiding spots and proceeded to charge towards what used to be the gate leading into the base. The remaining Japanese soldiers left nearby were suddenly gunned down by the advancing army.
"REMEMBER! WE'RE HERE TO GATHER AS MANY SUPPLIES AS WE CAN!" yelled Zero.
"YOU HEARD HIM! HALF OF YOU GATHER THE ARMS, AMMUNITION, AND ANYTHING ELSE OF VALUE! I WANT THE OTHER HALF TO DEFEND THE GATHERERS!" yelled General Jo.
The Black Army in the East split into two groups. One continued advancing forward, taking out Japanese soldiers defending the base. The other went to the areas cleared out by the first group to gather whatever they could find. Boxes of ammunition and weapons left outside were instantly taken by the Black Army, who returned it to a secret rendezvous point out East.
As the soldiers advancing forward approached the armory, they found themselves facing a large number of Japanese soldiers, some of which had machine guns ready.
"FIRE!" yelled Tōdō, who was observing the battle from a distance.
The machine guns suddenly dispensed dozens of bullets within the first few seconds, resulting in the Black Army suffering large number of casualties to the point they had to temporarily retreat.
"Zero! General! The armory is heavily defended by machine guns and many Japanese soldiers. We can't advance forward until the forces defending the armory are taken out! Tōdō has also been seen near the armory also!" reported a Black Army lieutenant as the sound of machine guns, artillery shells, and gunshots filled the air.
"We need to get into the armory! The best and most weapons and ammunition are stored there!" Zero responded.
"Besides, we can't rejoin with General Rozhkov's forces, meaning a rear attack on the Western Japanese forces is out of the question!" yelled General Jo.
More artillery shells could be heard exploding in the distance.
Zero then tried to think on how he would break the enemy's defenses. He also had to find the secret object the British gave them.
"General! Maintain that the operation runs smoothly. I'll be looking for the secret object they are keeping." said Zero.
"Are you sure you want to do that? We can easily assign some of our men to look for it." responded General Jo.
"You need every soldier we have in order to break the enemy's defenses. That's the primary objective." responded Zero.
"Very well sir!" said General Jo as he saluted Zero and continued commanding the troops.
Zero then ran off and looked for Warehouse #7, which according to the intelligence he had received held the secret object.
In the forests, Hasegawa was observing the battle from the rear. Craters kept appearing as the Black Army's artillery kept shooting into the advancing Japanese Army. The Black Army continued their guerilla tactics and kept retreating into the forest as they fired back at the enemy. The icy wind also blew snow into the air, reducing visibility significantly while the snow reduced mobility. If the Japanese managed to get a glimpse of a fleeing Black Army soldier, they shot him immediately. As each second passed, the corpses of Japanese and Black Army soldiers that littered the forest ground increased, causing the white snow to turn red.
As the Japanese were advancing even further into the woods, the Black Army had their machine guns hidden under some foliage prepared and aimed forward. Once the Japanese were in sight and the Black Army soldiers were out of the way, the gunners pulled the trigger, causing a stream of bullets to shoot all over.
"BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH!" was the only thing one could hear as the Japanese soldiers were mauled down, causing the Japanese to halt their advance maintain their distance away from the machine guns. With the machine guns halting the advance, a stalemate between the two armies occurred.
At the rear, Lt. General Ikeda appeared running out of the forest.
"What's going on in there?" said Hasegawa as he tried to observe his troops deep in the forest.
"It's not good my Lord. Guerilla tactics have whittled our forces slightly. The advancement has been halted due to enemy machine guns. Also the enemy's artillery is picking off any remaining soldiers we have." responded Ikeda.
"Great! We need to take out those artillery units on the cliff, but we can't reach them unless we advance! Is there any other way we can go around them and attack their flanks?" asked Hasegawa.
"Negative. Enemy's lines are well fortified with multiple machine guns and well placed marksmen. If we launch an offensive, they will be exposed and immediately mauled down." replied Ikeda.
"Hmmm. Very well, if we can't do that, then I want you to deploy the field guns and smash the enemy lines until they are scattered all over!" commanded Hasegawa.
"Yes my Lord!" responded Ikeda.
He then ran towards the line of Type 38 75 mm field guns that were kept at the rear in case they were needed. He ordered the commanders of the field guns to move them towards the front lines. Multiple men then pushed the guns towards the edge of the forest, aimed them forward, and prepared to load them with shells. Other soldiers were sent to warn the soldiers in the forest about the field guns.
Once all the soldiers were reported to be out of range, the gunners make final adjustments to the field guns to make sure they were accurate on target.
"FIRE!" yelled the commander of the field guns.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" echoed through the air, as the guns fired their shells forward with such force, that the recoil caused the guns to be pushed back slightly. The shells were moving with so much force that they obliterated any tree that got in it's way.
The Black Army machine gunners suddenly for about a fraction of a second saw a blurry object heading towards them. Without any time to react, the shell made a direct impact upon the Black Army's lines, causing large explosions that weakened the defenses significantly. Within a minute, another round of shells came, forcing the Black Army to scatter and their line of defense to fall apart.
Realizing this, General Rozhkov, who narrowly escaped being hit, ordered his men to retreat. The Japanese took advantage of the retreat and continued their forward advance.
At the base, Zero was wandering throughout looking for Warehouse #7. Explosions could be heard every few seconds, causing the ground and the nearby structures to vibrate. As he continued looking for the warehouse, he could suddenly hear voices coming from around the corner.
"Colonel! Black Army divisions detected on our right flank!" said the voice.
Once Zero heard the sound of footsteps, he knew he had to get out of the area as soon as possible. It was then he saw a door leading to nearby building. He immediately opened it and ran into the building before he could be caught.
Upon entering the building, he realized it was a storage room full of gasoline and other types of fuel. There were also some boxes of matches in the storage room.
Multiple gunshots could suddenly be heard outside along with some voices.
"Damn it! We can't flank these guys!" said the voice. "We have to reach that armory if we want to..."
A loud "BANG!" could be heard and the voice suddenly stopped mid sentence. A few more gunshots were heard, along with the sound of bodies falling over.
Zero realized that the men who were just shot were his.
"Damn! It looks like we can't get even near the armory. And if we don't get there soon, then Hasegawa and his men will have enough time to defeat Rozhkov's forces and return back to the base, which would ensure our defeat. But how do we penetrate their fortifications?" thought Zero.
Suddenly upon looking at the cans of gasoline in front of him, he suddenly had an idea. He carefully took out his eye contacts and proceeded to leave the building. He looked both left and right to see if anyone was there before leaving the building. When several Japanese voices were suddenly heard nearby, Zero hid, pulled out his pistol, and fired a shot into the air.
"Hey what was that?!" yelled one of the voices.
"I think it came from over there!" yelled another.
Zero then waited for the Japanese soldiers to be in his line of sight. Within a few seconds, a group of six Japanese soldiers, all bearing rifles, appeared and spotted Zero.
"Hey it's one of them!" yelled one of the soldiers.
Before the soldiers had a chance to fire, Zero activated his geass, causing them to freeze momentarily.
The Black Army repeatedly tried approaching the armory, but the Japanese machine guns prevented a direct assault, while other troops managed to defend their flanks.
"Keep it up men! The enemy can't keep this up for long!" yelled Tōdō. "Make sure those machine guns are fully loaded. Any second lost reloading them can result in our defeat!"
"Marshal!" yelled a soldier running towards him.
"What is it private!" responded Tōdō.
"Just received a response from Hasegawa. He says he will come with reinforcements as soon as possible. He says he already has the invading Western forces on the run and he'll be able to take out enemy artillery soon." said the soldier.
"Very well then." responded Tōdō. The soldier then ran off once he was dismissed by Tōdō.
As the soldiers defending the armory were manning the machine guns or shooting any Black Army soldiers attempting to attack, a soldier drenched in liquid walked up to Tōdō.
"Captain where have you been!" yelled Tōdō. Tōdō then sniffed the cold air a few times. "And why do you smell?!"
The Captain, who's eyes glowed a faint red, didn't respond to the question. He then took out a match and prepared to strike it on his jacket.
"Goodbye Shinigami." said the Captain as he struck the match against his wet jacket. The striking of the match caused a small spark to be produced, causing the Captain to be engulfed in flames.
"WHAT IN GOD'S NAME?!" yelled Tōdō as he stepped away from the burning Captain.
The still burning Captain started embracing the gunners at the machine gun, causing them to catch fire to. The burning soldiers tried to relieve their suffering by trying to douse the fire with the snow on the ground. Suddenly another soldier drenched with liquid appeared, struck a match against himself, and started spreading the fire engulfing him to other soldiers defending the armory.
Meanwhile the Black Army saw that the forces defending the armory were on fire.
"This is our chance! Attack!" yelled one of the Black Army officers.
A wave of Black Army soldiers charged towards the armory. Soldiers that weren't on fire tried to man the machine guns, but the burning gunners blocked any attempt to get near them. As a result, the charging Black Army soldiers managed to reach the armory, and bayonet any soldier who wasn't on fire .
Tōdō, upon seeing the charge and realizing he couldn't defend the armory, ordered all his remaining forces to move back and set defenses up around the command center.
With the armory secured, the soldiers overseeing supply movement broke into the building and seized the various boxes of rifles, pistols, ammo, and shells. The remaining soldiers proceeded with advancing forward and defending the supply lines.
Meanwhile a soldier carrying a large can of gasoline was dousing the inside of one of the many wooden barracks. Once the can was empty, he dropped it on the ground, lit a match, and threw it at the ground. The wooden building was consumed by blazing flames as the soldier stared at it from the inside with his red-glowing eyes. Due to the barracks being so close together and the gusts of wind, the fire quickly spread, resulting in a whole chunk of the base being up in ablaze.
Tōdō was standing in front of the command center, where he oversaw his remaining soldiers set up a new line of defense.
"Sir! What happened?" asked an officer.
"I have no clue? Two of the soldiers suddenly set themselves on fire and spread it to the other soldiers. As a result our defenses fell apart in the midst of the confusion, giving the Black Army the chance to attack. It just doesn't make sense?!" said Tōdō.
Suddenly Tōdō and some other soldiers saw flames and smoke rising into the air in the distance.
"WHERE DID THAT FIRE COME FROM?!" yelled Tōdō.
"Urgent report Sir!" yelled a soldier running towards the command center. "Several fires have broken out in various barracks!"
"I CAN SEE THAT! GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION!" yelled Tōdō.
"We don't know 100% for sure. But one of our units discovered the fuel storage to be practically empty. We can assume someone is burning this base piece by piece." answered the soldier.
"Fuel. That must've why that soldier was drenched and he smelled. This has to be the work of the Black Army." said Tōdō.
"But that doesn't explain the two soldiers setting themselves on fire in front of you." said the officer.
"I don't know how, but they say Zero is the Man who Makes Miracles. Perhaps this is a taste of one of his "miracles"." Tōdō replied.
"FIRE!" yelled a soldier running out of the command center.
Tōdō immediately turned around to see thick smoke coming out of the command center. Soldiers inside the building immediately ran out as the flames started consuming the structure.
"IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID THEY SET THE COMMAND CENTER ON FIRE?!" yelled Tōdō as he distanced himself between him and the burning building.
In the corner of his eye, Tōdō saw another soldier holding what looked like a dynamite stick. Realizing what was about to happen, Tōdō immediately took out his pistol and shot the soldier.
The soldier fell down dead before he could throw the dynamite into the flaming building, however, as he fell down, the stick rolled towards the edge of the building, where the growing flames managed to reach it.
"KABOOOM!" was heard as the dynamite exploded in the building, causing pieces of burning wood to be shot everywhere. Some soldiers standing nearby were either killed by the explosion or by the flaming pieces of wood stabbing them. Tōdō, who luckily was knocked to the ground and covered with some debris, immediately pushed the debris off him and saw the flaming inferno that once used to be the command center.
Suddenly, Black Army soldiers charging towards them started to become visible in the thick smoke. With a good amount of soldiers still able to fight, Tōdō told his men to give everything they got while he pulled out his steel-sharp katana and prepared to live up to his nickname.
Still looking for the warehouse, Zero could see the giant flames rising up in the distance.
"Seem that those soldiers I told to either douse themselves or any building with gasoline and spread the fire to as many Japanese soldiers they could find really paid off. And it seems the soldiers I sent to set fire to the command center and blow it up did their part well also. Now Shinigami, prepared to fight in my domain. The domain from which a demon comes from. HELL!" thought Zero.
Author's Note: The ultimate battle between demon and shinigami has begun. The Black Army's operation is proceeding with some success. Zero has turned the base into a literal inferno hell, while the rest of the Black Army deals with Hasgeawa, Ikeda, and Tōdō.
Next chapter, we'll see Tōdō using his katana in one-on-one combat, showing the reason why he is called a "Shinigami" or death god. We'll also find out the secret object the Japanese have gotten from Britain.
Hope you liked this chapter.