In Another World With A Marine

by Nightmare 6-4

Sgt. James Murphy was a Marine Marksman who did his duty to combat terrorism and protect the homefront, he made the ultimate sacrifice and God revived him in another world, but unfortunately for James the war is not over, because Marines never die, they just go to hell to regroup.

10. Chapter 10: Encroaching Dawn

Ch. 10 – Encroaching Dawn

In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Semper Fidelis, Oorah!

"[Modeling]" James said as he used the Null spell on the last piece of metal, the marksman stepped back as he admired the shiny soldier he had built "Alright Booker, wake up." James said as he watched the metal exoskeleton, the black pits of his eye sockets ignited as the blue orbs re-illuminated inside his skull, the skeleton warrior sat up and raised his hands as he examined himself "Holy shit... I'm... I'm made of metal." Booker said in disbelief, the skeleton warrior turned and hopped off the table. The new weight seemed to drag him down slightly before James placed his hand on the skeleton's back "[Enchant: Power Rise]" James said before the skeleton's body glowed slightly, Booker slowly stood up and moved around with ease as his skeleton was able to support the new metallic body.

"This is... wow." Booker said in disbelief, James chuckled as he inspected the body once over "Alright, you're gonna have to know that with this metallic body and [Power Rise], you're gonna have increased strength that you'll have to be very careful with." James explained. "Noted. May I go for a run?" Booker asked, James nodded with a smirk "Sure but don't over do it. This is still a trial and error thing." James explained before he guided the T-850 to the gates of the castle and pushed them open, Booker walked out of the courtyard at a slow stride before he picked up the pace until he was full on sprinting across the plains.

His metallic feet thundered against the hard ground as he trailed through the grasslands, he slid to a stop and dug into the soil beneath his metallic feet. The crystal that housed his soul seemed to bond with the metallic exoskeleton that melded with his bones, the metal didn't make a suit of armor but enveloped each bone separately and formed into the hulking behemoth that Booker had become. Booker looked up into the night sky and marveled at the beauty of the moon, stars, and the heavens above.

"Booker! Hold still, we're going to do a stress test!" A booming voice echoed through the plains. Booker stood in place before a gleam of light shimmered in the distance, suddenly a loud boom echoed as an invisible force hit Booker in the abdomen and knocked him onto his back. "Booker! You alright?!" James yelled through a speaker that was formed in the sky. Booker slowly sat up and inspected the spot where he was hit, a dent and a few scratches were all that was visible from where the unknown force had impacted. "Alright, come back to the castle so I can inspect you." James stated before the speaker sigil disappeared.

Booker sprinted back to the castle and quickly climbed the stairs to where James stood "So, what was that?" Booker asked, James stepped back and showed Booker the M107 that sat on its bipod on the wall of the castle. "You got hit by a .50 caliber BMG round, that's a very powerful round." James explained as he held a bullet up so Booker could see what hit him. "Hey, where's Yuri? It's really late." James asked as he looked around. "Oh, he went with Azazel to clear the cave where we found the Temple of Solare Gothica." Ramirez explained, seconds later Yuri walked out of a [Gate] as if on cue. "My friends, you need to come see this." Yuri stated before he passed back through the [Gate], James and Ramirez looked at one another before they followed the Spetsnaz with Booker in tow.

"Alright, what is it this time?" James asked as they walked into a pitch black cave network. "Come forth, Light! Tiny Illumination: [Light Sphere]." Booker said before a ball of light formed and illuminated the cave. The light coated the walls and filled the area with a bright light which left James and Ramirez speechless as Booker was still able to use magic, James looked around until he found Yuri standing next to the entrance of another tunnel "Over here, my friend." Yuri yelled, James and Ramirez took off running as they crossed the chamber with Booker behind them.

James and Ramirez peaked into the tunnel entrance and found two giant stone doors that had strange symbols carved into the door, "Uhhh, Booker?" James asked confused, Booker had to duck into the tunnel due to his new height from the metal augmentation, he approached the door before he slowly pushed them inward. The doors opened slowly as chunks of stone crumbled off and fell to the floor due to age, dust exploded outward as air rushed into the chamber that had been sealed like a vacuum; Booker formed another orb of light and let it illuminate the room before he walked in.

Stone carvings lined the walls in shapes of strange creatures, some that resembled creatures from Earth; a giant spider, a peacock, a mantis, and an ostrich to name a few "What the hell are these things?" James asked as he walked inside and used his tactical flashlight to illuminate the statues. James, Yuri, Ramirez, and Booker continued into the giant chamber until they came upon a structure that resembled an alter "Oh great, more Solare Gothica bullshit?" James asked confused but Ramirez shook his head "I don't think so, look here." Ramirez said before he pointed to carvings in the wall behind the alter.

The carvings showed giant creatures like a spider, a nautilus, a shark, and a snake amongst other creatures; Ramirez knelt to the ground and shown a light on a stain on the floor that looked similar to others around the alter. "Whoever was in here... worshipped these... things as if they were gods, going so far as to offer blood sacrifices." Ramirez explained as he gestured to a sacrificial alter that had blood stained into the stone.

"Look at that one, it looks like the thing that attacked me and Touya's group a while back, the thing apparently absorbed magic." James said, Booker's eyes glowed brighter at James's final words "Wait, it absorbed magic? Was it kind of a translucent blue with a red orb?" Booker asked, James nodded which caused the T-850 to back up. "We need to leave this place and never come back... whoever these people were, they worshipped the Phrase who brought nothing but pain and destruction to our world." Booker explained.

"This place needs to be destroyed, this is a bad place." Booker stated before he drove his metallic fist through a statue of a peacock, the stone statue exploded into chunks of stone and dust. "Hey, I got an idea. Let me see this pillar." James said before he walked up to a large stone pillar and placed his hand on the cold surface "[Modeling]" James said before the stone column turned into three separate large stone blocks, James used [Modeling] on the first stone block and turned it into a stone tripod that fused with the stone floor.

The ring on James's right hand glowed under his gloves as he worked diligently, the others watched as a white sigil formed above their heads as the sound of drums and electric guitars echoed through the chamber. "Is that Avenged Sevenfold?" Ramirez asked as he watched James work on an unknown item. James nodded his head along with Synyster Gates's solo in the intro of the song.

Carry On - Avenged Sevenfold

Some people live out selfish desires

Some choose to shout when they speak and they'll be the star

Caught in the flame of those deep in fire

Seeking out those with a voice, one for tomorrow

James used [Modeling] again on the second block and formed a large tube that was about four feet long, he placed the tube onto the tripod before he fused the tube to the tripod with a swivel piece underneath it.

(They say we've lost our minds

We've just gained control)

Search endlessly, fight 'til we're free

Fly past the edge of the sea

No bended knee, no mockery

Somehow we still carry on

James used [Modeling] on the third stone block and made it into eight large stone projectiles, James placed his hand on the tube before he closed his eyes "[Protection]." James said before the stone tube glowed briefly. James picked up a stone projectile and slid it into the tube before he turned it toward the ostrich statue "Burst forth, Fire! Crimson Eruption: [Explosion]." James said before an explosion erupted from his hand and sent the stone object screaming through the air, the stone projectile hit the statue and caused it to explode into chunks with devastating force.

(Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear)

Silence your fear, we've got to move higher

High like the stars in the sky, guiding us all

Battle the will of those who conspire

Take back the passion to live, vanish the sorrow

"Boom! Recoilless Rifle!" James said before placed his hand over the remaining projectiles "[Enchant: Explosion]." James said before the stone shells flashed red, he slid another one in and aimed the barrel at the wall of carvings "Burst forth, Fire! Crimson Eruption: [Explosion]." James said before another explosion erupted from his hand and sent the shell screaming into the wall of carvings, the stone shell exploded on impact and eviscerated the entire wall, leaving a giant hole in the wall where the mural once was.

(Destroy their perfect crime

Watch the power fold)

Search endlessly, fight 'til we're free

Fly past the edge of the sea

No bended knee, no mockery

Somehow we still carry on

"I've got a better idea. [Program start: start three minute countdown and activate spell upon reaching zero. Activation: When tapped twice on the top of the object. End program.]" Ramirez said before he picked up the shells and carried them to strategic locations along with James and Yuri who stood next to their designated shells "Alright, on my word!" James yelled before the Marines tapped the shells once.

Search endlessly, fight 'til we're free

Fly past the edge of the sea

No bended knee, no mockery

Somehow we still carry on

"Now!" James yelled before they tapped the shells a second time which caused a countdown to pop up on the shell. "Run! Booker, run!" James yelled as they sprinted past the statues and through the stone doors, James and Booker grabbed the handles on the door before they pulled with all their might but the doors didn't budge. "Fuck it! Run!" James yelled before he sprinted inside and turned around to face the doors. "[Power Rise! Boost!]" James yelled before he drove his fist into the stone door, the force of impact caused the stone doors to slam shut with immense ferocity and caused part of the door to crack. James looked over at the countdown and saw it was about a minute and a half remaining, James was about to move when a disembodied hiss echoed through the chamber.

James chuckled as he looked around "I don't know what you want but go fuck yourself." James said before he opened a [Gate] but a long tube hit the ground in front of the marksman, James looked around until he saw a red eye staring at him from the shadows. "Hide all you want, it won't save you." James said before he stepped through the gate and closed it behind him. James found himself in the main chamber with Ramirez, Yuri, and Terminator Booker.

The Marines and Booker started to walk away before six massive explosions shook the ground they stood on, James turned around as a bright orange glow seemed to get brighter "Guys! We gotta move!" James yelled before a column of fire erupted out of the tunnel that led to the Phrase room, James opened another [Gate] before the four of them ran through just as the fire engulfed the area where they previously stood.

The group ran out of the [Gate] and found themselves in the plains outside of the castle, James looked back at the cliff and watched as smoke billowed out of a few cervices and fissures that covered parts of the cliff "What the hell was that?" Ramirez asked confused, Booker stood up as the floodlights gleamed off his body. "That was a sacrificial chamber, an old one at that. Whoever occupied it before worshipped the Phrase as gods." Booker explained. "I should go inform Tristwin of this development, he should know about it. Ramirez, on me." James said before he opened a [Gate] to Alephis, James and Ramirez walked through the portal and founded themselves in the King's chambers. James looked around but found that the chambers were abandoned "Is everyone asleep?" James asked confused, Ramirez chuckled "Bro, it's like eleven at night." Ramirez said with a chuckle.

"Oh James, what brings you here at this hour?" A voice asked, James looked over and saw Lucien, the king's advisor, standing next to a bookshelf. "Oh Lucien, is the king in? We've made a giant discovery that Tristwin needs to be informed about." James stated as he approached the advisor. "Oh, Touya came and invited Tristwin and Yuel to Eashen, he said something about a beach on the southernmost Island of Eashen." Lucien explained, James chuckled as he cracked his knuckles out of reflex. "I told that fucker to come get me when he found the god damn ruins." James said with a sigh before he opened a [Gate] back to Fort Juggernaut, James and Ramirez stepped through before it closed behind them.

"That little shit, he has the audacity to try and leave us out of finding those ruins. Just because we're Devil Dogs? Alright then, since he wants to be like that, how about we give 'em the Marine hello?" Ramirez asked as they walked into the courtyard, James looked over at his battle buddy and couldn't help but smile. "Let's do it." James said before he bumped fists with Ramirez. "Hey Tori! Wheels up in ten, alright Warlords! Get ready, we're rolling out in ten." James stated before he walked to the castle to grab his gear. "Welcome back, sir." Elvie said as she bowed to the Marine, Elvie had warm ivory skin and scarlet red hair that went down to her upper back and draped over her shoulders. Elvie had a kind smile that was accented by her neon orange eyes "Hey Elvie, I gotta go take care of some things so I'll out for a bit. I'll be back in a little while." James said as he grabbed his BDU top, molle vest, and his Scar-H.

"Yes sire, I'll see you when you return." Elvie said as she bowed again. James fastened the side straps on his molle vest before he picked up his Scar and walked out of the castle, James stepped out into the night as a cool breeze blew over the castle walls; James looked up into his bedroom window and saw Ayumi looking down at him, she placed her hand on the window and mouthed the words 'I love you'. James smiled back before he leapt down and ran over to the Super Stallion, James watched as the Marines piled into the back of the transport helicopter; James stood in the back of the helicopter as the ramp closed while the turbines slowly spun up.

The propellers started to spin up slowly and picked up speed moving faster and faster until it slowly lifted into the air, the Super Stallion flew over the plains before it banked around and started to fly east. "Alright boys, we're gonna give Touya a little wake up flyby. Fast and low, how does that sound?" James asked as he faced the Devil Dogs. "Oorah!" The Marines said in unison as the helicopter screamed through the sky, James grabbed the roof straps as the Super Stallion flew over the kingdoms below; large cities peppered the area of different nation, some larger than Alephis itself. The marksman gazed out over the land and marveled at the kingdoms structures that extended into the heavens.

James looked down and watched as the rooftops passed by in a flash, James studied a large spire of a castle and saw a young girl with green-silver hair who looked at the Super Stallion with a look of confusion. The Super Stallion banked to the right as the turbines spun a little faster and pushed the transport faster through the sky. Roughly thirty minutes later, James moved up to the cockpit and saw the silhouette of Eashen come into view "Alright, Lucien said it was the southernmost island." James stated as he scanned the large islands. "Down there, it's a beachhead." Ramirez said as he studied the islands formation and shape.

"Perfect, take us down!" James yelled as he continued to hold onto the roof straps. Victoria moved the stick and caused the Super Stallion to circle the area before it started to descend, the Super Stallion lowered its altitude before it buzzed the beach and threw sand up, wheels extended from the bottom of the Super Stallion before it touched down on the grasslands that extended until it touched white sands of a beach that overlooked a sparkling blue ocean. James let go of the roof strap as the ramp lowered and touched down on the emerald green grass while the propellers slowed and the turbines powered down; James walked out with his Scar in hand before he held his hand up to block out the light of the sun that was at mid day.

James pulled up his shemagh and covered his mouth before started to walk toward the beach with the other Marines in tow, the beach grew larger and larger with every step they took. As the marksman's foot hit the grass, a large force shook the ground and caused him to wobble slightly be he lowered his body to maintain his balance, he looked to his left and watched as a giant turtle slammed onto the ground every time it attempted to stand up. James glanced over and saw Touya's companions playing in water while Leen stood under an umbrella, two figures splashed far out in the water while Sue and an unknown girl with beige hair built a sand castle.

"Oh Kraken, you made it." Leen said as she approached the Marine, James chuckled as he shook his head "Yeah, it would appear Touya forgot to let us know." James said as he started toward the beach, Leen stopped and looked down at the ground for a moment "He didn't forget, he didn't want you to find it and possibly make whatever lies within into a weapon." Leen explained, her words stopped James dead in his tracks. "Did he now?" James asked, Leen nodded before James turned to his left and started toward the boy in the white coat. "Do you got a problem with us, Touya?" James asked before he crossed his arms and stared at the boy.

"Do I have to say anything? You can't go anywhere without flexing your muscles. Fighting off the Undead Takeda soldiers and you bring in a full force attack. All the while, you're chasing this 'Black Phantom Company' across the world; you are the last person that needs to be able to access ancient technology. All you Americans know is destruction." Touya said in a dismissive tone. James clenched his fists as he felt anger swell through him, suddenly two figures flashed past him and snapped him out of his trance; James looked up and saw that Foley and Jones were toe-to-toe with the boy in white.

"You wanna run that by me one more time, son? I don't think I heard you right." Jones asked. "I oughta have a mind to drop you right now. You know your JSDF is trained by the Marines, right? And Americans only know destruction? Nanjing would like to talk with you or does Unit 731 not ring a bell? Some of the most egregious acts committed against civilians and POWs, all at the hands of the Japanese. Oh, but you don't want to talk about that, right?" Foley said as he exhaled seething rage. James walked up and placed his hands on the shoulders of his Drill Instructors "At ease, gentlemen. We'll make ourselves scarce." James said before the Marines walked away.

Yumina walked up to Touya as James and the Marines started to head for an isolated portion of the island, James looked over his shoulder and could see Yumina who looked like she was scolding the young boy. James found a nice secluded spot before he got to work making a makeshift camp, Jones used [Aqua Cutter] to chop down a tree followed by [Modeling] to turn it into usable lumber. Elliott and Feldman carried the lumber over to a designated spot before they drove the 2x4s into the soil at an equal distance apart before James used [Modeling] to build the walls and roof. James and the Marines stepped back as they admired the wooden structure they built in a matter of minutes to act as a temporary base of operations.

Elliott used some spare wood to make a table that he then sat his weapons on, Ramirez created a weapons rack that sat against the wall that Marines then placed their rifles into. James stepped outside and snapped his fingers to open a [Gate], Ayumi and the girls stepped out with Marilla, Zaleria, Minerva, and Camilla along with Elvie, Booker, and Azazel. Victoria opened a [Gate] to Alephis and led the girls to get swimwear, James walked down to the beach with Azazel in tow and approached Touya who stood next to Kohaku. "Well, if it isn't the false Monarch." Kohaku said in a dismissive tone. Azazel growled as he slowly increased in size but stopped when James patted him on the side "Easy boy." James said before Azazel shrunk back to his stature that was the size of a beefy Great Dane.

Touya approached James with his head hung down "I'm sorry for not getting you involved with these ruins, that was wrong of me to let our history get in the way of progress." Touya said apologetically, James looked over at the giant tortoise that panted heavily "We submit, we will make a pact with you." The tortoise said before Touya cancelled the spell. The tortoise stood up and was about to move when Kohaku stopped them "Hey, you need to make yourself smaller or else it'll cause problems for our master." Kohaku explained, the snake on the back of the tortoise perked its head up "Oh, we can do that." The serpent said before the tortoise and serpent shrunk, their small size allowed them to float in the air and land on Touya's shoulder.

"Oh, if it isn't the false prince?" The serpent said as it stared at Azazel. Azazel growled as the grass around his feet turned black and charred "Alright, that's it. What the fuck is your problem with Azazel?!" James yelled as he stepped closer to the Tortoise/Serpent being. "You dare speak to us, mortal? We are The Black Monarch of the Four Heavenly Beasts and you will bow dow-" The Serpent started to say before Touya flicked it in the head.

"Enough of that; James is on the same level of power as I am, if not stronger. You WILL show him respect... and that goes for Azazel as well." Touya said as he stared at the small tortoise/snake duo. "Also, you're name from now on is Kokuyou (Serpent) and your name will be Sango (Tortoise)." Touya added. "Kokuyou and Sango? We love these names." The tortoise and serpent said simultaneously. "Now, answer his question: Why do you look down upon the Hellfire Monarch?" Touya asked as he joined James in questioning the Heavenly Beasts.

"The Hellfire Monarch was cast out because he rose against us in defiance, so he was labelled 'The False Monarch' and made to live in the underworld." Kokuyou explained. Azazel increased in size until he towered over them all "That's a GOD DAMN LIE and you know it!" Azazel said with a demonic hiss behind his words. James rubbed his leg and managed to get the Hellfire Monarch to shrink back to a manageable size.

"When the Phrase attacked, you sat back and did nothing, the great spirit said it was 'not our place to interfere with the lives of the humans.' But I said to hell with that and amassed an army of Demon Lords and other creatures of darkness to go combat the Phrase. I went by myself and watched my army get destroyed before the Phrase vanished, when I came back; the great spirit had the audacity to label me as a false monarch and banished me to the underworld. So yes, I AM the Hellfire Monarch and I will get the respect I deserve." Azazel said from his middle head while the other two had their teeth exposed.

Kohaku, Kokuyou, and Sango were silent as the wind blew in from the ocean, Kohaku stepped forward and assumed its full form before it lowered its head "Azazel, you are right that you deserve respect and we need to stop running from our failure to act against the wishes of the great spirit. I hope you can accept my apology and we can rebuild a level of trust like we once had." Kohaku said as it lowered its head.

"Stand up, Kohaku. If you do in fact see me as a Monarch, we can move on and leave the past behind us." Azazel stated as he sat down and held his heads up high. "You are Azazel, the Hellfire Monarch, King of the creatures of darkness." Kohaku said before it stood up and looked up at Azazel who took his full seven foot regal stature. His fur was black while other Cerberus's were purple and he had red eyes that had licks of flames flickering in his pupils, his regal stature would cause anyone to be petrified with fear and the weakest of creatures to bow down to him.

Azazel shrunk down to his Great Dane size before James stroked his black fur "When I see the Flame Monarch, I'm gonna rip her wings off." Azazel growled before James picked him up. "Alright, let's not brood on the past." James said before he carried Azazel back to the F.O.B. "Please put me down, this is embarrassing." Azazel said, his wagging tail said otherwise as James sat him down. James opened a [Gate] back to Fort Juggernaut before he passed through, he walked into the castle and retrieved the venison steaks from the fridge he had built when they first moved into the castle as well as two blocks of steel before he returned to the Eashen beach.

Ramirez took the steaks from the marksman and walked into the F.O.B. to begin prepping them while James walked to the area where grass and dirt met the white sands of the beach, James placed the steel onto the ground and used [Modeling] to turn the steel bricks into circular fire pit that stood five feet off the ground and was imbedded in the ground with four legs. James used [Modeling] to make a grill wire rack that he sat against the grill. "[Search: Oak wood.]" James said as he closed his eyes, the world around him dimmed down before multiple trees nearby glowed a dull yellow.

James walked over to the closest one and placed his feet shoulder-width apart before he raised his right hand up to his left shoulder with his palm flat "Come forth, Water! Feel My Blade, Both Cold and Clear: [Aqua Cutter]." James said before he swung his hand down and sliced a large limb off the tree that he then used [Modeling] to turn into useable firewood. "Alright Ramirez, we're about to BBQ Memphis style. I need you to run to town and find me these ingredients along with a rack of ribs, I doubt they'll know what it is so just point out what part of the pork you want." James explained before he handed his battle buddy five gold coins along with a list of ingredients.

James used [Modeling] on the oak wood and turned it into charcoal before he broke it up into briquettes, James placed the briquettes along the base of the steel grill that he ignited using his pocket lighter before he laid the oak firewood along the top but not enough to smother the flames. He placed the rack back onto the grill before Feldman returned with the now seasoned Venison steaks that James carefully placed on the grill, the Venison juice dripped down and hit the fire which gave off BBQ's signature hiss. "What did you add?" James asked as he replaced the cover. "Well, we gathered some garlic powder, salt, pepper, and some Montreal Steak Seasoning." Feldman explained before he handed the marksman a set on tongs.

James lifted the lid and flipped the steaks before he closed the lid back again. Ramirez returned with a box of jars that contained various herbs and spices along with a wrapped slab of meat over his shoulder. Another [Gate] opened before Victoria walked out, the girls followed behind her and stood next to James as he messed with the steaks; James turned to his right and almost lost his balance when he laid eyes on the girls. Ayumi wore a black two-piece bikini that was red on the edges and had a red rose on her left breast and a black bow on her right thigh, Naomi wore a red two-piece swimsuit that had black frills that border the top, Shelyn had a yellow two-piece that had a green hue to it and a red sarong that covered her yellow bikini bottoms.

Misuki wore a swimsuit similar to Naomi's but hers had white frills around her top, Yuki wore a white bikini that had red sakura blossoms on the top and a sarong similar to Shelyn's. Marilla and Zaleria wore one piece blue swimsuits while Camilla wore a lilac two-piece swimsuit and Minerva wore a cyan two-piece swimsuit. "So, what do you think?" Ayumi asked as she approached the Marine marksman, James gulped as he took a long look at each of the girls. "Holy fuck... you look stunning. I... I got no words." James said before he brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of her face. Elvie moved over to where Cecile and Lapis were standing on the beach, conversing like old friends from high school.

James couldn't help but smile as he watched the four young girls he rescued from Canaan play as if the trauma they experienced was nothing but a bad dream. "Alright, I removed the membrane from the ribs, whatdya want to do with these ingredients?" Ramirez asked as he carried the ingredients over along with the slab of ribs, the pink and red of the meat looked like a bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day.

---

James stood next to the ingredients and examined them closely "Right, Brown Sugar: Check. White Sugar: Check. Paprika (actual recipe calls for American Paprika): Check. Garlic Powder: Check. Black Pepper, Ginger Powder, Onion Powder, and Rosemary Powder: Check check check check. Alright, we're good." James said as he sat the ingredients out on a freshly made table. Elvie left Cecile and Lapis with a friendly wave before she walked up to James "Please sir, let me take care of the cooking." Elvie insisted but James shook his head.

"I appreciate it, Elvie, but this is cooking from my home country. This is called Barbeque and it is a delicacy where I'm from. In fact, Elliot play something good but I swear to god if you play Florida-Georgia Line, I will castrate you with a butter knife." James said as he made his eyes wide to hammer his point home. Elliot shrugged before he pulled out his phone and used [Speaker] on it before he projected one into the air.

That's My Kind of Night - Luke Bryan (I detest country music but there are some that are good like Chris Stapleton or Zac Brown)

As the kick drum/clap rhythm came through the air, James lifted his head from pouring the ingredients into a bowl and eyed Elliot who smirked "It's not Florida-Georgia Line!" Elliot yelled before he danced in place while Feldman laughed and Jones nodded his head with the beat.

I got that real good, feel good stuff

Up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck

Rollin' on 35's, pretty girl by my side

You got that sun tan skirt and boots

Waiting on you to look my way and scoot

Your little hot self over here

Girl hand me another beer, yeah!

James nodded his head as he looked over at Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn who stood by him and watched him work while Misuki and Yuki carried the Venison steaks to a picnic table that Pearson removed from the grill. "Right, 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup American paprika, 1/4 cup garlic powder, 2 tablespoons ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons ground ginger powder, 2 tablespoons onion powder, and 2 teaspoons rosemary powder. Mix in a bowl and ensure the sugar doesn't clump." James said as he mixed the seasonings by hand. (Meathead's Last Meal ribs if you're into BBQing.)

All them other boys want to wine you up and take you downtown

But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out

Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat

Floatin' down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner

Going to sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

James splashed some water onto the ribs before he sprinkled some salt onto the rack before he added the Memphis rub to the meat and rubbed it into the pork. James flipped the meat over and repeated the process until there was only seasoning dust in the bowl.

Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate

Put in my country-rock, hip-hop mixtape

Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain

You can hang your t-shirt on a limb

Hit that bank and we can ease on in

Soak us up a little moonlight

You know I know what you like, yeah!

Pearson used [Modeling] on the metal grate to make a rib holder that James placed the meat in before he closed the lid "Right, that's gonna take a while to cook, about 6 hours so let's party." James said, Ramirez chuckled before he walked out with a crate of bottles "Good thing I sent Yuri off on a separate mission." Ramirez said before he pulled out a clear bottle of brown liquid and poured it into a glass that he then hammered back followed by coughing like he swallowed fire. "Jack Daniels fucker." Ramirez said weakly.

All them other boys want to wine you up and take you downtown

But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out

Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat

Floatin' down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner

Going to sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

James looked over at the beach and saw that some of the adults looking over with intrigue "Come on over, we don't bite." James yelled before he poured himself a glass of whiskey that he then hammered back, James coughed wildly as the alcohol burned his throat. Leon Blitz and Tristwin walked over to James with intrigue "My, what a marvelous party you have going on. Say, what is this music?" Leon asked with a curious tone. "Oh, this is called country music, it's very popular where we come from." James said as he tapped his foot.

My kinda- your kind- is this kind of night

We dance in the dark and your lips land on mine

Oh oh oh oh oh, gonna get our love on

Oh oh oh oh oh, time to get our buzz on

"Come on, have a drink." James said before he poured a drink for Leon and Tristwin, the two men stared at the liquid before they sniffed it and immediately recoiled "Good lord, what is this?" Leon asked perplexed. James chuckled as he hammered another one back "Whiskey. This'll burn a dragon." James said with a chuckle, Leon looked at it while he rubbed his chin "So... it can kill a dragon?" Leon asked, James shook his head as he chuckled "No, it's alcohol... it's just really strong." James explained as the other Marines drank while Yuri drank from a bottle of Vodka. "Wait, I wanna go get someone." Ramirez said before he disappeared into a [Gate], minutes later he reemerged with Lain in tow.

"Oh, hello James. It's good to see you again." Lain said as she let go of Ramirez's hand and bowed to the marksman. "Good to see you too, Lain." James said with a smile as he watched Ramirez who looked happier than he'd ever been.

All them other boys want to wine you up and take you downtown

But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out

Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat

Floatin' down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner

Going to sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

"Come on, everyone! Let's cut loose!" James yelled as Victoria started pouring drinks for everyone, Leon and Tristwin finally drank the whiskey and had the same reaction as James and Ramirez. "Ahh, you'll be fine." James said as he helped Tristwin off the ground. "That burned like hell... I'll have another." Tristwin said before James poured him another one.

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

That's my kind of night!

Yeah, that's my kind of night!

Come on

Ayumi and the girls joined James by the table as he poured himself another drink, he looked over at them and saw the look of intrigue "You want to try some?" James asked as he reached into the crate and pulled out five small glasses that he then poured some whiskey into, the girls were hesitant before James picked up his own "We'll do it together." James said with a reassuring smile, the girls smiled before they picked up their glasses as a familiar guitar rift echoed through the air. "Alright, on three. 1. 2. 3." James said before the six of them hammered back their shots of whiskey, the girls had the same reaction as the liquor burned their throats.

Bottoms Up - Nickelback

Hey

Who's coming with me, to kick a hole in the sky?

I love the whiskey, let's drink that shit till it's dry

So grab a Jim Beam, JD, whatever you need

Have a shot from the bottle, doesn't matter to me

Another round, fill her up, hammer down, grab a cup, bottoms up

"Oh my god, that burns so much!" Naomi exclaimed before she followed the shot with water. "Come on, let's go have some fun on the beach." Shelyn said before she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him toward the white sands. James gave in and followed Shelyn as she dragged him to the waters while she smiled and giggled. James picked Shelyn up and carried her into the water which caused her to let out a happy squeal.

This is what it's all about, no one can slow us down

We ain't gonna stop until the clock runs out (Bottoms up)

Hell can't handle all of us, so get your bottles up

Drinking every drop until it all runs out

Another round, fill her up, hammer down, grab a cup, bottoms up

Ooh, bottoms up

Naomi ran up and wrapped her arms around his waist before she dragged both of them into the water while she laughed with glee while Ayumi, Misuki, and Yuki followed behind her. James surfaced from the water and looked over at Marilla and Zaleria that were riding on the back of Azazel as he carried them around the beach while Camilla and Minerva laid under umbrellas next to Yuel and Ellen while Lapis served them iced drinks. 'Is this what peace feels like?' James thought to himself before he snaked his hands around Ayumi's waist and pulled her closer. Ayumi giggled excitedly as she placed her hands on James's chest and stared into his blue eyes.

So grab your best friends and make your way to the bar

But keep your distance, we're gonna light it on fire

We're drinking black tooth, 80 proof, straight gasoline

Slam as much as you can take and hand the bottle to me

Another round, fill her up, hammer down, grab a cup, bottoms up

"James! This schtuff is... is amasssing." Leon stated as he slurred his words, Leon's slurred speech snapped James back to reality and met Ayumi's longing gaze. He reached up and ran his fingers through her long blonde hair before he pressed his lips against hers, Ayumi dug her nails into his back as she embraced her lover. The musical stylings of Nickelback came to an abrupt end before they were replaced by an aggressive violin and other string instruments before being overtaken by an electric guitar and other heavy metal instruments.

Comatose - Skillet

James pulled away from Ayumi and slowly opened his eyes, his blue eyes met her beautiful fuchsia eyes which caused his heart to skip a beat.

I hate feeling like this

I'm so tired of trying to fight this

I'm asleep and all I dream of

Is waking to you

Tell me that you will listen

Your touch is what I'm missing

And the more I hide I realize I'm slowly losing you

James looked over at the F.O.B. and saw Ramirez next to Lain as he held her in his arms while the song played on his phone. James couldn't help but smile as he watched his battle buddy, who had gotten a 'Dear John' letter a week before his death, find someone he could love again.

(A 'Dear John' letter is a letter that is sent to a service member while they're deployed by their partner, saying that they're leaving them. Coined from the movie Dear John.)

Comatose

I'll never wake up without an overdose of you

I don't want to live

I don't want to breathe

'Less I feel you next to me

You take the pain I feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

I don't want to sleep

I don't want to dream

Cause my dreams don't comfort me

The way you make me feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

James stood up in the water before he ran his fingers through his hair, he looked over at Touya who stood next to the water's edge; James attempted to walk out of the water but was snatched back into the ocean by Yuki and Misuki who giggled cheerfully. "James, you have to relax. You done so much, just let the stress out, at least for a moment." Ayumi said as she ran her fingers through his shaggy hair. James sighed as relaxed in the ocean water as the girls held onto him tightly.

I hate living without you

Dead wrong to ever doubt you

But my demons lay in waiting

Tempting me away

Oh, how I adore you

Oh, how I thirst for you

Oh, how I need you

James mouthed the last few lines of the verse as he gazed into Ayumi's Fuchsia eyes, the blonde Kitsune blushed before she pressed her lips against his.

Comatose

I'll never wake up without an overdose of you

I don't want to live

I don't want to breathe

'Less I feel you next to me

You take the pain I feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

I don't want to sleep

I don't want to dream

Cause my dreams don't comfort me

The way you make me feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

Breathing life

Waking up

My eyes open up

As the sea enveloped the Marine, he felt all the stress of his new life wash away as he was surrounded by the girls who wrapped him in their loving embrace.

Comatose

I'll never wake up without an overdose of you

I don't want to live

I don't want to breathe

'Less I feel you next to me

You take the pain I feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

I don't want to sleep

I don't want to dream

Cause my dreams don't comfort me

The way you make me feel

(Waking up to you never felt so real)

Oh, how I adore you

Waking up to you never felt so real

Oh, how I thirst for you

Waking up to you never felt so real

Oh, how I adore you, ohhhh

The way you make me feel

Waking up to you never felt so real

As the song ended, James was snapped back to reality by the sound of large explosion that shook the ground, James shot up out of the water and glared at the location that smoke billowed up from. He sprinted through the water and made it to the land in a matter of seconds before he grabbed his service pistol from the holster that was hung on a chair. James moved into the cloud of smoke and closed in on a large cylindrical object that was embedded in the ground, the object was metal and had lines that indicated it had moving parts; suddenly, the object made metallic clicking noises before three covers rose and displayed multiple firearms including an M240 Bravo, an M32 Rotary Grenade Launcher, and multiple M21 and SR-25 sniper rifles.

James was confused as he stared at the large object until Roman walked up and pointed up into the sky to a white airship that hovered above the island "In case you're wondering, it's smaller than the American Akron Class airship. It uses your phone's GPS and can move to your location to drop weapons or ordnances on the field." Roman explained, James nodded as he read the letters 'USMC' written on the bottom of the airship. Roman chuckled as he admired his handiwork "That was put on by Elliott and Feldman who helped me build it in the night. So, the weapons and ordnance pods are self-replicating; they're programmed to use [Copy] and [Modeling] on the materials within it to make ordnance drops. All material used is immediately replaced via [Copy]." Roman explained as he pulled out James's drone control laptop that looked like the predator drone computer from Modern Warfare 2.

Roman opened the device and scrolled down to bottom of the list, the name 'Ares' popped up on the screen before Elliott clicked it. The screen flooded with information including weapon categories and ordnances, Roman selected multiple weapons before a single prompt popped up on the screen 'Launch? [Y] N'. Roman cancelled the drop order before he closed the lid and handed it to the Gunnery Sergeant. "So, why Ares?" James asked as the Armory drone rose higher into the atmosphere before it disappeared into the clouds. "Ares, the god of war who was aggressive in his war tactics, like a certain sniper I know." Roman said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I can be a bit aggressive." James said as he scratched the back of his head, Roman looked over at James with a deadpan stare "James. You had the Black Phantom Company bases taken out simultaneously with what can be considered non-radioactive nuclear artillery shells." Roman said as he reminded the Marksman of Sandora and the BPC raids. James rubbed the back of his head as he sucked in air through his teeth "Yeah, I might've gone a wee bit overboard." James stated as he analyzed the contents of the ordnance drop pod. James walked up to the pod and picked the M32 up from the rack before he opened the reel and examined the 40mm grenades, he closed the reel and held it by the stock as Roman used Ares's direct interface to recall the pod, the pod slowly phased from reality as it was recalled back to the drone airship.

"So, we got time before those ribs are done. Wanna practice hand to hand?" Ramirez asked as he walked up to the Marksman and the drone operator. James shrugged before he cracked his knuckles and loosened up his shoulders, Ramirez grinned as he pulled off his molle vest and tossed it onto the ground as the two Marines moved an equal space between them. "Hey Fox, put us on something to fight to!" James yelled as he raised his hands and bent his knees. Fox grinned as he grabbed James's phone and scrolled through the songs until he found the perfect one.

When Legends Rise - Godsmack

The rhythmic sound of drums filled the ether before it was accompanied by an electric guitar which coalesced into a ensemble of rock, the two Marines sprinted in and started throwing jabs, uppercuts, and knees to the abdomen but found themselves equally matched as they blocked each others attacks.

Legs are tired, these hands are broken

Alone I try with words unspoken

Silent cry, my breath is frozen

With blinded eyes, I fear myself

Something moved quickly in the corner of James's sightline which caused his head to move to the right, Ramirez grinned before he hit the marksman with a left hook that connected. "That's the problem with snipers, you notice the minute details." Ramirez said as he backed up and raised his fists, James spat out some blood before he smirked and charged back in.

It's burning down, it's burning high

When ashes fall the legends rise

We burned it out a mile wide

When ashes fall the legends rise

James charged in and slammed his left shoulder into Ramirez's gut before he picked him up and slammed him onto the ground, Ramirez immediately recovered and threw a low kick at James's legs. The Gunny moved back quickly as Ramirez leapt up to his feet, James sprinted in and threw a right hook that clocked Ramirez in the left side of his jaw and followed it up with multiple quick jabs to his abdomen, Ramirez slammed his elbow down into James's back before the sniper jabbed Ramirez in the ribs.

My throat is dry, my vision's fading

I'm paralyzed and left here waiting

Taking time just one step forward

Won't lose my mind, I'm here to stay

Ramirez sprinted toward the marksman and attempted to hit him with a straight jab but James kicked him square in the chest and knocked him back, the marksman ran forward and grabbed Ramirez by the shoulders before he drove his knee into the infantryman's abdomen, Ramirez moved his leg back before he attempted to sweep James legs out from under him. The sniper stepped back and raised his fists, his head twitched lightly as he heard the sound approaching steps that were closing in quickly.

It's burning down, it's burning high

When ashes fall the legends rise

We burned it out a mile wide

When ashes fall the legends rise

James ducked down as Fox threw a right hook that narrowly missed his head, James recovered and kicked Fox in the ribs before he followed it with a roundhouse to the side of the head. James sprinted toward Ramirez and leapt into the air with his right knee extended which connected to Ramirez's face. The Infantryman stumbled back while Murphy hit Fox in the chest with a palm strike followed by multiple quick jabs to the torso and ended the flurry by using his forearms to knock Fox off his balance before he swept his legs out from under him.

Whoa

Legends rise

Whoa

Legends rise (Legends rise, rise, rise)

Legends rise (Rise, rise, rise, rise)

Ramirez ran up behind Murphy and wrapped his arms around his torso while Fox slowly stood up, James quickly threw his elbows back into Ramirez's face before he bent down and grabbed his leg; James flipped Ramirez onto the ground using a Rolling Knee Bar, he grabbed the man's leg and pulled upward at an angle that caused the Infantryman to howl in pain before a nauseating crack echoed through the air. James stood up while Ramirez laid on the ground writhing in pain, Fox walked up and raised his fists as he was still ready to go. Fox stepped back and threw a roundhouse with his right leg but James blocked it with his forearms before he grabbed the man's leg and quickly swept the other leg out from under him.

Fox sat up slowly as he panted heavily but was taken by surprise when James put him into a rear naked chokehold and tightened his bicep around Fox's throat, Fox tapped out after a few seconds of oxygen deprivation. James let go before Fox collapsed to the ground "Anyone else?!" James yelled to see if there were any new challengers, Foley walked up and cracked his knuckles "You think you can take on your old Sergeant?" Foley asked as he raised his hands but kept his grasp open.

You gonna do somethin' about it

Or just stand there and bleed?

James stepped over Fox and approached Foley "If I remember correctly, James trained with the Israeli Defense Force when he was training the IDF snipers." Pearson said as he stood next to Jones and Elliott, Jones nodded as Feldman used [Mega Heal] on Ramirez before he dragged him out of the combat zone. James raised both hands up as he moved his right leg back, the air was still except for a breeze that blew in from the ocean.

Foley stepped forward and threw his right hand out wide with his palm flat, James immediately moved his right hand and blocked the strike but Foley followed by doing the same move with his left hand but slightly lower, James's left hand shot down and blocked the strike; the two Marines threw and blocked blows as if it were a choreographed dance (Krav Maga's 360 Defense). Foley smirked before he clenched his fists and aimed for James's abdomen, Foley hit James in the chest with a Wing Chun Double Punch that stunned the sniper; Foley cracked Murphy in the jaw with his right elbow and followed it with a knee to the side.

Legends rise

"Why are they doing this?" Ayumi asked concerned, Ramirez stood up straight and rolled his shoulder "James was the number one hand to hand fighter in our battalion and we've always competed to see who can beat him in hand to hand. He's the best at hand-to-hand because he's had to fight everyday of his life. Foley held the title as the best fighter when he was our Sergeant.

Ramirez explained as Lain moved to his side to assure his safety, Ayumi clutched her hand against her chest as she thought about James having to fight to survive.

Foley threw a right roundhouse and cracked James across the mouth, the blow caused him to fall and slam into the ground; James shot up to his feet and spat some blood onto the ground "It's been a while since we've sparred huh, Foley." James said before he cracked his knuckles.

It's burning down, it's burning high

When ashes fall the legends rise

James sprinted in and lowered his body as Foley threw a right hook that narrowly missed the sniper's head, James rose up swiftly and drove his fist up into Foley's jaw that stunned him; Murphy grabbed Foley by the shirt before he drove his fist up into the Sergeant's ribs followed by punching him directly in the mouth which was then followed by a severe headbutt and a knee to the abdomen. Murphy wrapped his arms around Foley's torso before he swept his legs out from under him which dropped him to the ground, James raised his left hand out straight and kept his right hand in a fist. Foley sat up slowly but raised his hands in surrender

We burned it out a mile wide

When ashes fall the legends rise

Whoa

Legends rise

Whoa

Legends rise

James extended his hand and helped Foley to his feet before he shook the Sergeant's hand "Passin' the torch as the toughest S.O.B. was always a fun past time, it's like team building but less trust fall bullshit." Foley said with a smirk; as he grinned, James could see he was missing one of his canines "Hold still, [Recovery]." James said before his hand glowed, Foley opened his mouth and felt the newly restored tooth with his tongue.

James patted Foley on the back before he walked back to the group of Marines, the Gunnery Sergeant walked up to the makeshift table and placed a few raw materials on the table including a folded section of leather and rubber. "[Modeling]" James said before the materials formed into a single football that was full inflated. He picked up the ball and placed his fingers in between the white laces and his pointer finger on the white line.

"Elliott, go long!" James yelled before he backed up a few steps while Elliott booked out into the field, James drew his arm back and spiked the ball through the air, Elliott turned around and caught the ball but it slammed into his chest and knocked the air from his lungs. "Caught it." Elliott said in an exasperated voice. The other Marines perked up and charged at Elliott when they saw the football, James couldn't help but laugh to himself as he found a shady tree to lay under.

---

*Two Hours Later*

---

James awoke from a light nap with the sensation of a soft pillow under his head instead of the hard bark of a tree, James rolled over and found his head was in Yuki's lap while she gently played with his hair. "Morning cutie." Yuki said with a smile before she leaned over and pressed her lips into his. James lifted his head up and looked out over the ocean as the sun was starting to set on the horizon. The marksman sat up and stretched before he felt a pair of hands snake over his shoulders and onto his pectorals "Uhh Yuki, where's my shirt?" James asked confused, Yuki giggled before she kissed him on the neck. "I took it off you cause it had blood on it." Yuki said before she nuzzled his neck.

"I should probably go check the..." James started to say before Yuki pressed her finger against his lips "Shh shh shh, just stay here." Yuki whispered as she held him closely with her breasts pressed into his back. James chuckled as he placed his hand onto hers "Well, look who has come out of their shell." James stated as he caressed her arm lightly. "So, where are the other girls at?" James asked as he looked around, Yuki giggled as she looked out at the setting sun "They're playing a game Touya calls Volleyball, Ayumi also said it was my turn to have some alone time with you." Yuki explained as she hugged the Marine from behind.

The two remained silent as they enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach and the rocks, the sounds were serene while Yuki held her man closely. "I'm glad you rescued me from that prison." Yuki said in a soft voice before she kissed his neck again. "I'm glad I was able to save you, that you weren't beyond the cusp of saving." James said as he continued to stroke her arm. As they sat there, the scent of the barbeque wafted through the air and filled the Marine's nose, Yuki took a deep breath in and savored the scent "Mmmm, it smells soooo good." Yuki said as she rested her head on his shoulder. James stood up and helped Yuki to her feet before he guided her back to the party, Ramirez pulled the lid off the grill and watched as the smoke billowed up into the air.

Ramirez used a pair of tongs to pick up the ribs and place them on the metal plate, he held his hand over the ribs and closed his eyes "[Copy]." Ramirez said before a second rack of ribs materialized next to the original rack. James reached down and pinched a piece of meat off of the copied rack and popped it into his mouth, the savory and juicy meat melted in his mouth as he chewed the glazed rub "Oh my god, it's so tender and juicy." James said before he grabbed on to a part of the bone and pulled it out with ease, the bone was clean as the meat fell away from it perfectly.

Ramirez used [Copy] two more times to make plenty of ribs while Pearson grabbed a piece of metal that he used [Modeling] on to turn it into a butcher's knife that was razor sharp, he handed the blade to Ramirez who cut up the ribs and placed them on a serving tray that Elvie carried to a table that was also sprinkled with other bowls and plates of food. James, the girls, and the Marines all sat around the large table but noticed Touya's people looking on in curiosity.

"Y'all gonna stare or are y'all gonna come join us?" James asked, the people from Touya's group looked at each other before they made their way over to the tables where the Marines were gathered, Ramirez handed them some plates and let them help themselves to the bounty that was laid out before them. The group dug into the food that was prepared by the Marines, noises of satisfaction emanated from Touya's group as they savored the new flavors their palates had never tasted before.

"By the gods, this is amazing. And you say this is made from boar?" Leon asked before he bit off another piece of meat. "Pig or pork. It's made from the ribs of the pig and then its coated with a mixture of herbs and spices. I then put it on a smoker and let it cook for about four or five hours." James said before he pulled the bone out with ease and showed the group a clean bone. The royals looked on in amazement at the 'delicacy' that was presented to them "If you give Feldman here a cow, he can make you some grade A steaks." James said as he pulled the pork off another rib bone with ease using his teeth and sat it on the tray.

---

*One BBQ Feast Later*

---

Touya stood next to the water's edge with Sango and Kokuyou, the was starting to set as James walked down to the water's edge where the teen stood "Sso we have to allow you to breathe underwater?" The snake asked with a hiss. "Yup. Can you?" Touya asked, the snake nodded its tiny head "Of coursse. None can come closse to uss when it comess to warding." Kokuyou stated with a hiss. James walked up to Touya with Azazel in tow "We'll stay topside and keep everything secure, most of your guests are leaving via [Gate] made by Fox and Ramirez. Azazel went ahead and took care of the rest of the food, so we'll just break things down and set up a comms relay." James said, Touya looked back and watched as the Super Stallion's rotors started to spin up while Elliott and Feldman walked out of a [Gate] with sheets of steel and various other materials.

"Please don't destroy anything or start a war." Touya said as he shook his head before Kokuyou bobbed its head, Touya's body was enveloped in a shimmering hue before it quickly disappeared. Touya stepped into the ocean and started to walk deeper until he was fully submerged in the ocean's salt water. James turned around and ran back to the grasslands where the Marines were moving objects around when James showed up "Alright, Touya's gone so now we can get to work building our F.O.B., F.O.B. Barracuda." James said as Pearson and Campbell carried in large boulders with the help of [Levitate] and placed them in the shape of a square.

"[Modeling]!" Pearson and Campbell said in unison before the large boulders glowed and formed into a large fortress with four bastions that pointed out in the shape of a diamond, Pearson walked around the inside of the fortress before he used [Modeling] again to form a stone staircase that led up to the fortress wall while Campbell used [Modeling] to make two entrances. James walked up the newly formed stairs and looked at the bastions, he pulled out his compass and found the bastions that pointed to the North and the West "Yuri, Fox, Feldman, get up here!" James yelled, moments later the Spetsnaz leapt from a tree and landed on the fort while the two Marines walked up the staircase.

"Privyet, comrade." Yuri greeted James as he dusted himself off. "Wassup, Gunny?" Fox asked while Feldman stood at parade rest. "At ease, Feldman. Yuri, do you think you can build an RS-24?" James asked, the question caused Yuri's eyes to go wide "Cyka, why you want Russian ICBM?" Yuri asked confused, James crossed his arms as he looked down at the stone fort. "The Phrase, they absorb magic and since [Mega Explosion] is magic, that wouldn't affect them so we need some good old fashioned high explosives. We're making it a non-nuclear missile, we need to have every advantage we can get." James explained. "If they were to come back, we'll blow them to shards of whatever the fuck they're made of." James said before he turned to face Fox and Feldman.

"You two, I want your best ideas for fort defenses that can be used, if needed, in an offensive manner." James stated as he stared off into the distance. "You wanna set something up like in Mismede?" Fox asked, James shook his head "No, we need something that can be used for hitting shots in a distance, we'll most likely put some kind of artillery system in place at a later time but for now, I want a targetable MLRS." James explained. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" Feldman asked, James chuckled before he turned around "Permission granted, Private." James said before he leaned against the wall.

"Sir, don't you think this is a bit much? We already have artillery that can decimate an entire city if not half a kingdom. Not to mention we have air superiority and ground support that can shred any army." Feldman explained, James nodded "That's true, but remember that we are isolated to the west, what would happen if something happened over here. We can use [Gate] to get over to this fort and launch an offensive. If we have MLRS systems in place, it won't be an issue to have the comms tower tap into the Airlanders provide a radar on enemy movements." James explained. "Feldman, there's a reason he's the Gunnery Sergeant. He knows a thing or two about war, both offensive and defensive." Fox explained.

"Nyet, we take two turrets of BM-30 and make them into guided MLRS batteries, use comms radar to pin point barrage of missiles." Yuri said as he used [Drawing] on a piece of paper to show the blueprints of a BM-30 MLRS. "Right, we take two of those and mount them together on a pivoting joint that can rotate and raise or lower it's aim. One pointed to the North and one pointed West, I like it. Alright Yuri, we'll do that. But what about East and South?" James asked as he turned around and looked at the glistening sea that shimmered like diamonds in the sun. "I figured you'd have that question so I pulled up some options up on my phone." Fox said as he handed his cellphone to the Gunnery Sergeant.

James flipped through some blueprints that showed two barrels of a M119 Howitzer side by side with an M45 Maxson which consisted of four Browning M2HB .50 Cal Heavy Machine Guns built into it, James looked closer at the Howitzers and saw that they had shell magazines built into the top of the guns. "Fox, are these M119's outfitted with shell magazines to send multiple rounds down range in a short amount of time?" James asked which caused Fox to chuckle "You noticed that? Yep, just a little idea." Fox explained.

"I love it. Say, where is Touya's group at?" James asked as he looked back at the beach and noticed Leen, Linze, Elze, Yae, and Yumina were gone "Azazel!" James yelled out before a seven foot hellhound leapt from the tree line before it lowered its middle head "Hey boy, I need you do me a favor. Can you track where Touya went?" James asked. 'Hmm possibly, give me a few minutes.' Azazel said telepathically before he walked back to the water's edge and looked around.

"James, Touya's group went into a [Gate] he opened. I would've gotten here sooner but I got stuck in some muck." Booker said as his metallic body gleamed from the setting sun with mud caked onto his legs. James nodded before he leaped off the fort and walked toward the water's edge where Azazel stood. "I don't suppose you have the ability to part the seas?" James asked with a chuckle. Azazel lowered its heads before it sat on the beach 'Unfortunately not. But I can do this.' Azazel said telepathically before all three heads raised to the sky and howled in a tone that sent up a chill up James's spine. Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, Misuki, and Yuki all moved to James's side as the water began to ripple violently.

Three green creatures with webbed hands and fins on their heads rose from the water before they knelt before Azazel "Those are Mermen, I've only heard about them but never seen them in person." Naomi said as she held onto James's arm. One of Azazel's heads growled before the Mermen turned around and dove into the water 'They're going to search for what Touya was here for.' Azazel said telepathically. Moments later, the Mermen rose out of the water and spoke in an unintelligible language but James could understand them "There's a structure underwater, there are also faint footprints in the mud." The lead merman said,

"I'm going in." James said before he started to take his BDUs and boots off. "What?! James, you'll drown." Ayumi protested. "Not necessarily, one of the things us Marines have to train for is holding our breath underwater for long periods of time, James here can hold his for about 8 minutes." Foley said as he walked up onto the beach with Victoria in tow. "Come on, girls. He'll be alright, trust me. He'll come get us when he gets to wherever it is the structure leads to." Victoria said as she reassured the ladies as James walked into the water until it was up to his shoulders. "I'll be back, I promise." James said before he took a deep breath and dove underwater.

The initial hit of salt water burned his eyes as he performed a breast stroke and kicked his legs to propel himself deeper into the ocean '7 minutes 30 seconds' James thought to himself as he continued to swim deeper, the form of a structure came into few as he got closer. 'Fuck, I gotta go deeper.' James thought to himself before he dove straight down toward what looked like stone columns, James reached out and grabbed onto the lip in one of the broken columns to balance himself so he could examine the area. James looked to his right and the opening to a structure that resembled temple. '6 minutes left.' James thought to himself before he pushed off the column and swam toward the opening, an underwater current rushed up and slammed James into the stone structure with the force of a freight train.

James clenched his fist as blood seeped out of an open wound on his side, James grabbed onto the stone and pulled himself into the temple despite the pain. James looked down at his left arm and saw that his forearm had been broken from the impact, the force knocked some of the air from his lungs. 'Fuck, everything's getting hazy.' James thought to himself as he crawled into an open chamber that had multiple pillars that formed a circle with a single crystal in the middle. 'That's a Null stone... my, my power.' James thought to himself as he struggled to stay conscious as he placed his right hand on the middle stone as his eyes closed 'I'm sorry... girls.' James thought to himself before a flash of light surrounded him.

James opened his eyes slowly as he laid on a crystal platform, blood seeped from wounds on his side and his legs as he struggled to stand up. "Warning: Intruder alert." A female voice said from the ether. "No..., we aren't doing this... [Gate]." James said weakly as a [Gate] opened behind him before he passed out, Ramirez and Fox sprinted through in their full gear before the [Gate] closed. "[Gate]!" Ramirez yelled while Fox swept the area with his M4. "Gunny! Hey Gunny, stay with me!" Ramirez yelled as he assessed the battered Marine. "Come forth light, healing of the goddess, [Mega Heal]." Ramirez said before James was bathed in a flash of white light.

"Warning: Intruder alert. Intruder alert." An automated voice repeated as the other Marines poured through followed by the girls, Booker, and Yuri. "Oh my god, James!" Ayumi cried out before she dropped to his side and embraced him in a passionate hug. "Alright, where is this shit fuck?" Pearson asked as he looked around the lush garden. "Intruder alert." The automated voice said again as Ramirez helped James to his feet. "Yeah yeah, we get it. Shut up!" James yelled as rolled his neck which caused some joints to pop. "Before I was upset that Touya didn't trust us, but now I'm pissed." James said as the ring on James's right hand glowed and a sigil formed in the sky. The light sound of bells echoed through the garden before they were joined by a bass that made a low groan.

Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold

The sound of an ensemble of guitars and drums filled the air as Booker handed James his clothes, James pulled on his BDUs, boots, molle vest, and his tactical belt before Yuri tossed him his Scar.

Nightmare!

Now your nightmare comes to life

The group started to walk down a concrete path that led to a fountain in the center where Touya was standing as he conversed with a girl with green hair. Wrath and anger flashed across James's face as he handed his rifle to Ramirez and got a running start.

Dragged ya down below, down to the devil's show

To be his guest forever (Peace of mind is less than never)

Hate to twist your mind, but God ain't on your side

An old acquaintance severed (Burn the world your last endeavor)

James used the fountain to propel himself into the air before he slammed his fist down into the left side of Touya's face, the teen slammed to the ground before James grabbed him by the jacket and threw him across the garden.

Flesh is burning, you can smell it in the air

'Cause men like you have such an easy soul to steal (steal)

So stand in line while they ink numbers in your head

You're now a slave until the end of time here

Nothing stops the madness turning, haunting, yearning pull the trigger

"James! What the hell?!" Touya exclaimed before James hit the teen with a roundhouse that knocked him back to the ground. James was about to step forward when Elze sprinted forward and slammed her gauntlets into James's side, the surprise attack slammed the Marine into the wall but he quickly recovered. "You wanna fight Touya, you go through me first." Elze said as Linze raised her staff and Yae withdrew her sword from its sheath.

You should have known the price of evil

And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah

Ooh, it's your fucking nightmare

While your nightmare comes to life

"You know I almost died to get here, in fact I was practically dead when I got transported to this place. Don't believe me? Go look at the blood soaked teleportation circle." James said as he held his fists up.

Can't wake up in sweat, 'cause it ain't over yet

Still dancing with your demons (Victim of your own creation)

Beyond the will to fight, where all that's wrong is right

Where hate don't need a reason (Loathing self-assassination)

You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight

And now they have the nerve to tell you how to feel (feel)

So sedated as they medicate your brain

And while you slowly go insane they tell you:

"Given with the best intentions, help you with your complications"

As James and Elze had a stand off, the green haired girl walked over and stared at James "He speaks the truth, after Administrator Touya arrived, the transportation circle's defenses came online. It would seem they need to be fixed; Administrator Touya, shall I expel the intruders?" The green haired girl asked before James reached into his pocket and turned the music off.

"No, he's a friend. You were right to hit me like that, I was out of line. While your methods are a bit extreme, we're on the same side. It was wrong of me to keep this hidden from you." Touya said as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "It's just... you have already built a small army, I was worried you would become a ruthless dictator but I can see I was extremely wrong." Touya explained.

"Touya, are you a fucking idiot? You know I'm a Marine, right? I take down dictators, not become them. I have these weapons as a deterrent and use them ONLY if the need should arise, like Sandora for instance, they were a slaver kingdom who used human labor without a care... now Sandora is no more and the slaves were moved to Mismede and given new lives." James explained.

"Anyway, you wanna introduce me to the green haired girl that has been staring at me for the past two minutes?" James asked before he looked at the girl. "Oh uh James, this is Francesca but she prefers to be called Cesca. Cesca, this is James." Touya said, Cesca extended her hand to James to shake "It is nice to meet you, James." Cesca said in monotoned manner. "Likewise." James said as he shook her hand. "Say Cesca, what is this place and where are we?" James asked as he looked around at the lush flora and fauna that scurried around the area.

"This is the Hanging Garden of Babylon, high in the sky. Some call this place Nirai Kanai." Cesca explained, James looked around in awe as he wondered to the edge where a thick wall of glass separated him from the outside. The marksman looked out and saw that they were floating amongst the clouds, no, above the clouds. "Holy shit, this is amazing." James remarked as he examined the plant life. "What's the purpose of this place? Why was it made?" Victoria asked as she walked up with the other Marines, Booker, and the girls. Ramirez and Fox gave Touya a death stare while Booker's metallic body gleamed from the sunlight hitting it.

"See James, this is what I'm talking about! You have a Terminator now!" Touya exclaimed as he gestured to Booker. "Hold your tongue, child. I am Sir Booker Welter, former knight to High Priest Juniper, I now serve James Murphy who saved me and helped put my brothers to rest." Booker stated as he approached the teen. "He's telling the truth, I can sense a magical artifact within his body. I heard rumors that a necromancer had created an undead army using gems that captured the essence of the person or their soul." Leen explained as she approached Booker and placed a hand on his chest. "I can feel it, it contains his soul... his very being." Leen continued.

"Booker was no more than a skeleton in a cave full of Draugrs, Booker's soul is the only one that didn't get corrupted or go mad. I gave him a metallic exoskeleton to make him more durable and to prevent anything from damaging his body. The gem is incapsulated in an obsidian shell and his body is made of steel and tungsten." James explained. Cesca made a noise similar to someone clearing their throat to get the attention of the crowd, "To answer your question, The construction of this hanging garden was Doctor Babylon's hobby." Cesca explained. "Doctor Babylon...?" Touya asked confused. "Yes, Doctor Regina Babylon. Our creator." Cesca stated.

The group stared at Cesca with a combination of intrigue and a hundred more questions, "Wait, creator?" Victoria asked confused, Cesca nodded "Dr. Babylon created me to be the management terminal of this garden. That was five thousand and ninety two years ago." Cesca explained, the entire group stared at her in momentary disbelief "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right... did you say five thousand years?" James asked confused, Cesca nodded before Touya interjected "So, Cesca. You're a machine?" Touya asked but Cesca simply shook her head "Not entirely, no. I have some magically-made organic parts and a magic reactor, so I am more of a combined magical-mechanical lifeform." Cesca explained.

"...I am incapable of being impregnated, but I am well-equipped to partake in the relevant act, if you so desire." Cesca added, James chuckled to himself while Touya turned beet red "I didn't need to know that! H-Hey! Quit raising your skirt!" Touya exclaimed as Cesca raised the front of her skirt to expose the underwear beneath. "Well shit, if shithead won't, I will." Elliot said with a shit-eating grin before Foley slapped him in the back of the head.

"That aside... I'm impressed that this place has been active for five thousand years. Is there a reason why either you or the garden didn't decay or break down?" James asked as he looked around the giant incased ecosystem. Cesca nodded before she gestured to the flora around her "The hanging garden in its entirety is strengthened by magic. Though five thousand years might seem like a lot to you, I was in sleep mode for most of it, standing by in case of an emergency. The ganging garden was largely automated as I slept." Cesca explained, the word 'emergency' caused Touya to tilt his head in confusion while James took up defensive measures and took his rifle back from Ramirez.

"Alright Marines, fan out and secure the site. Look for anything that would be cause for alarm." James said before the Marines of the 2nd Battalion fanned out with their rifles pointed down range. "Wait, you said Emergency and that you've been a sleep for most of it so, this place is in a state of emergency?" Touya asked, Cesca nodded "Emergency, indeed. We do not have a better word to describe it. You are our first guests, after all." Cesca explained before she pointed to the bloody teleportation circle.

"No normal person can activate that magic circle. It is made to be unable to accept magic from multiple people. That means that it can only be activated by those with an affinity for all types of magic... Just like Doctor Babylon." Cesca explained before she looked at James "That one was able to get in because he also has an affinity for all types of magic and used his Null magic to activate the circle." Cesca continued.

James lowered his Scar and turned to face Cesca "You said 'We', implying there are others like you or other places like this?" James asked, Cesca turned to James "Babylon is split into several floating sections. Besides this hanging garden, there's also the research laboratory, the hangar, the library, among several others, all of which are managed by my sisters. Babylon becomes complete when all of them are joined together." Cesca explained. "So you mean to tell me that when the other parts are connected, this becomes somewhat like a fortress in the sky?" Ramirez asked as he walked up next to the Gunny.

"In a sense, yes. I have lost contact with the other sections so their magic circles will have to be found in order to reach them." Cesca explained. "If something like that was floating around out there, wouldn't someone have noticed and made a huge fuss already?" Elze asked, Cesca nodded "Babylon is protected by a magic barrier that prevents outsiders from seeing it. Because of that, it is nearly impossible to view it from the surface." Cesca stated as she informed the group of Babylon's stealth capabilities.

James was about to say something when his phone went off with the screen flashing red 'Alert: Movement detected: Regulus Empire.' James swiped up on the alert and waited for the ping from The Oracle, seconds later the ping bounced off one of the Airlanders and illuminated the area that Yuri and Alonzo had scoped out. "Alright Marines, show time. Let's move out." James said before he snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate] back to F.O.B. Barracuda.

The Marines stepped through and found the F.O.B. was almost fully functional, the MLRS batteries had been built to precise detail and the Dual M119 Howitzer/Quad .50 Cal gun emplacements looked exactly like the blueprint design. "Eh?! Whadya think?" Roman asked as he gestured to the base. "Impressive, we gotta mobilize. The Black Phantom Company is on the move, so we're going to hit them hard and uncover whatever information we can." James said as the Marines scurried around and prepped their gear, the girls stood in place until James looked back at them "Are y'all coming too? We're moving out in five minutes." James said before he walked to the wooden table and picked up the M32 Rotary Grenade Launcher.

The girls seemed to smile with glee before they prepped their weapons, some of the Marines ran and boarded the Super Stallion while Ramirez, Fox, and Yuri stood next to James. The Gunny pressed his comms before he spoke "Austin, Yuri is going to send you the coordinates to the location. Go ahead and take off; Pearson, once we arrive at the location, I want you to go back to Fort Juggernaut and get the Abrams." James said. "Oorah." The Marines responded in unison before the propellers spun up and the Super Stallion lifted off the ground.

"Alright, everyone else is with me. Roman, be on standby for drone assault." James said before he opened a [Gate] "Aye sir, give 'em a good beatin'." Roman said in a forced thick British accent, James snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate] before his group stepped through and found themselves outside the main base of Aegis Obsidian where soldiers in various colors of armor stood in formation, James, Ramirez, Fox, and Yuri stood atop a lush green hill as they looked down at the building that was carved into the side of the mountain. A man clad in silver armor on horseback rode back and forth in front of his regiment of thugs and criminals.

"Alright men, today is the day that we show those vigilantes that the Council of Aegis Obsidian is not weak and we will strike back with extreme fury, we'll get them back for what they did to The Jade Wraiths, The Crimson Brotherhood, Leon, Lyle, Mustang, and all the others that we lost." The man on horseback said before the regiment let out a loud cheer in unison. "Estimate on force size?" James asked as he leaned toward Ramirez. "Rough estimate? 2,000+." Ramirez said as he looked over the sea of various colored armor. "Yuri, send the coordinates." James said as he reached for his Scar-H. "Already did, Yuri already nipped ass in butt." Yuri said. James sighed "Yuri, it's nip it in the bud." James said as he shook his head.

Minutes later, the unmistakable sound of helicopter blades cutting through the sky echoed in the distance before the Super Stallion came into view off in the distance. "Alright, are you all ready to do this?" James asked as he held his Scar with the barrel pointed to the ground. Yuki extended her Halberd, Naomi unsheathed her swords, Ayumi readied her folded compound bow and removed an arrow from her quiver, Shelyn and Misuki pulled out their Ninjatos as their dragon scale chainmail gleamed in the sunlight. Yuri readied his RPK while Fox and Ramirez held their M4s, James looked up and watched as the Super Stallion touched down in a field six hundred feet to the right of the base. The back opened up before the Marines stormed out of the transport helicopter and took up formation near a divot in the ground with their weapons trained on the regiment of mixed armor colors.

Pearson opened a [Gate] before he stepped through; as James stood there on the hill, one of the soldiers pointed up at him "Look! It's him!" A soldier cried out, the horse reared up as the sudden noise startled it before the man on the horse looked up at the hill. "Alright men, this is where we make our stand, we are the Black Phantom Company!" The man exclaimed as he rallied his troops. "Hey Ramirez, you remember the quote from General Pershing?" James asked out loud, Ramirez chuckled "Oh yeah, 'The deadliest weapon on Earth is a Marine and his rifle.' What a legend." Ramirez said as he held his M4 and flicked the safety off.

Suddenly, a [Gate] opened before the Abrams pulled through and turned its main gun toward the base. "Pearson, load HE shell and aim at the front doors. Fire on my signal." James said as he maintained eye contact with the Black Phantom troops. "Who do you work for?! Who is your king?! We can pay you more than whatever they're paying you!" The man on horseback shouted. "You think I'm being paid for this? Nope, this is a war you brought to my front door. Now, you must reap what you have sown." James said as he stood on the hill and looked down toward the valley that housed the fortress embedded in the cliff face.

"Alright men! Attack!" The man on horseback exclaimed before the horse reared up; James rolled his eyes before he raised his rifle to shoulder, flicked the safety off, took a deep breath in, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked as the muzzle flashed and a .308 screamed from the barrel, the back of the man's head exploded and sprayed blood, bone, and brain matter that coated the faces of the soldiers. The regiment's morale disappeared almost immediately as the man fell off the horse which ran off.

"Alright, anyone else?" James asked before the other Marines made their presence known by pulling back the charging bolts in unison, the regiment looked around before they drew their swords "Charge!" One of the troops yelled before the troops fanned out and ran in various directions. Claps of gunfire filled the air as bullets pierced through metallic armor, bodies dropped to the ground as other soldiers continued their charge to their inevitable demise.

The Coaxial MG on the Abrams opened fire and mowed down troops that charged out of the base, three people were ripped in half while a fourth's head exploded. Armored bandits attempted to push up the hill but the girls leapt into the fray and sliced through their armor as if it were butter, Ayumi drew back the string on the compound bow which caused cam wheels to tighten before she let the arrow fly, the steel tipped arrow zipped through the air and pierced the helmet of a soldier in crimson armor. The soldier dropped to the ground and rolled back to the base of the hill, Naomi sprinted toward a soldier in green armor before she plunged her blades into his chest, the man choked slightly as Naomi pulled the blades out before she sliced the throats of two other soldiers.

The Marines in the dunes opened fire and tore into the regiment that scattered for cover, James let his Scar hang by its Y-Sling that was made of Paracord before he lifted up the M32 Rotary Grenade Launcher and pushed the stock into his shoulder. James looked down through the M2A1 sight and squeezed the trigger, a 40mm grenade erupted from the barrel of the grenade launcher before it impacted a cluster of armored soldiers and exploded. The bodies of the soldiers were eviscerated and sent flying while chunks of metal clanged against the cliff wall, blood and viscera was splattered against a stone wall and on the grasslands outside the stone fortress.

"Alright, move in!" James yelled before his group descended the hill as they cut through the waves of armored troops which were dispatched with ease as the Marines ripped through their armor, James pulled out his MR412 Rex and put down three soldiers before he holstered the revolver and fired at armored soldiers on horseback. Multiple hooded soldiers stood side by side while they held their hands out and chanted something inaudible, James passed the M32 to Ramirez before he raised his Scar and opened fire at the mass of soldiers that remained standing. Ramirez lifted the M32 to his shoulder and squeezed the trigger as he took aim at the robed figures, the 40mm grenade flew out of the launcher and impacted the ground in front of the robed figures. The 40mm grenade exploded and ripped the mages apart, body parts flew in various directions along with a couple mangled corpses, James put down soldier after soldier as he continued to push forward, the turret of the Abrams turned and took aim at the large stone door before the barrel erupted with fire as a shell screamed from the tank, the shell hit the door before it exploded and reduced the doors to rubble.

Ramirez and Fox waited for the dust to clear before they stormed into the fortress as Elliot and Feldman ran through the field of bodies and followed the two Marines into the fortress where the sound of gunfire echoed as they cleared the fortress room by room while James and the other Marines engaged the remnants of the Aegis Obsidian Regiment "Warlords! Open fire!" James yelled as he sprinted onto the battlefield. As James fired into the mass of different colored shields, his earpiece buzzed "Sir, we have two masses moving in your area. One is heading your way and the other is heading toward Belfast." Roman said through James's earpiece.

James looked up as a MQ-1C flew from a [Gate] and soared over the land, James pulled out the drone control laptop and accessed the drone that flew overhead, the camera came online before he turned it to analyze the two anomalies "Alright, it looks to be a force of approximately twenty horse-drawn carriages heading toward Belfast and another group on horseback headed this way from Regulus. Roman, prep AC-130 to intercept." James said before he closed the laptop and re-engaged the soldiers of Aegis Obsidian. "Roger, AC-130 taxing onto runway." Roman said through James's earpiece.

"Look alive, we got company!" Foley yelled as the he continued to fire at the remaining soldiers. James pressed the mag release on the side of the Scar and pulled out the spent mag before he slapped a fresh mag into the receiver followed by the bolt release that chambered a fresh round. James sprinted toward a wall and quickly vaulted over it before he engaged the armored regiment, the sound of horse hooves on the ground echoed as group of armored horses came over the ridge, some carried banners with an unknown symbol on it.

The troops of the Aegis Obsidian regiment turned around and looked at the sea of bodies that laid behind them, their mangled comrades lay in their shredded suits of armor; the green grass was soaked red as blood sprayed over the the field and onto the stone wall of the Aegis Obsidian fortress. The remaining soldiers dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. "Good, now line up against the wall." James ordered before a soldier on horseback rode in front of the Marine "Halt, you dare to invade the Regulus Empire? Who are you and who is your king?" The man asked before he drew his sword and pointed it at James's throat.

"Firstly, you better sheath that sword before I put it through your throat. Secondly, I am Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy of the United States Marine Corps. Who are you?" James asked as he tightened his grip on his rifle. "I am Erwin Hale of the Regulus Empire Army under the rule of Emperor Zephyrus Roa Regulus." Erwin said before he sheathed his sword. "Now James, I will ask you this once. What is your business here in Regulus? A better question is why have you slain all these men with these strange weapons?" Erwin asked, some of the Marines moved in to intercept the remnants of the Aegis Obsidian but soldiers of the Regulus Army moved to block them.

"These men work for a shadow organization called The Council of Aegis Obsidian, they have committed a multitude of crimes and egregious acts. That's the only reason we are here, we're not trying to invade the Regulus Empire." James explained, Erwin scoffed before he dismounted his horse and approached the Marine. "Well sir, I want you to leave our country out of your war and as for them, we'll be taking them into custody." Erwin said before the other Regulus soldiers moved to cuff the Aegis Obsidian troops. "Mr. Hale, I strongly suggest you don't take them into custody, these men have done vile things and need to be dealt with permanently." James stated as he and Erwin got close to each other.

Fox moved in between the two men and separated them before they started trading blows, James pulled his phone out and opened the map before he selected the soldiers from Regulus "Sleep." James said as he held his hand over his phone, multiple sigils formed in the sky before they flashed and the soldiers fell into a deep sleep. Erwin dropped to the ground and was in a deep sleep. The Marines quickly moved in and picked up the soldiers "Put them on the horses and flee the horses." James said as he picked Erwin up and placed his body on the horse before he slapped it on the hindleg, the horse whinnied before it galloped off into the distance.

The other Marines followed suit and sent the soldiers off so they could finish their business "Enough wasting time, finish this guys." James said before he gave the go ahead to open fire, the Marines raised their rifles to their shoulders and squeezed the trigger, a barrage of bullets erupted from their M4s and riddled the Aegis Obsidian Soldiers. Blood sprayed from their bodies and painted the wall of the fortress before their bodies crumpled to the ground, two soldiers in red armor attempted to charge at James but Yuki and Naomi cut them down in a flash. Yuki spun her Halberd as she assumed a defensive position in front of James.

"No one will lay a hand on our man!" Yuki yelled as she looked the bodies on the ground. "God damn, where did this come from?" James asked confused, Yuki turned around and looked at the Marine "I told you, we want to be by your side and fight with you." Yuki explained as she approached the Marine before he kissed her on the forehead. "Hey Gunny! I found something you're gonna want to see!" Ramirez called out from the stone fortress.

James walked into the stone fortress and found a massacre, bodies were slumped against the wall and over tables while others laid where their bodies had crumpled to the floor. James stepped over a few corpses as he found Ramirez starring at a wall of papers "What did you find?" James asked as he walked up to his battle buddy, Ramirez pointed to the wall and tapped on a roster of names "Look at this, it looks like we're about to finish off this shadow organization." Ramirez said as he gestured to the list of names of Aegis Obsidian agents and the corresponding map of the nations they were in.

"Awesome, take everything you can and then we'll collapse the structure." James stated before Ramirez started to remove and roll up the information then placed them in leather protective tubes. Ramirez handed the tubes to Feldman who took them to the Super Stallion, James looked around the room before he noticed a piece of paper tucked away sloppy under a book. James pulled the paper out and unfolded it to find that it was a list, a list that contained small settlements including one that looked very familiar "They're going to attack Faybell, we need to go, now!" James yelled before he sprinted out of the fortress with the other Marines in tow.

"Pearson! Collapse it and let's move!" James yelled as he pressed his comms, the Abrams's engine revved before the main cannon let out a loud boom before an HE Shell erupted from the barrel and hit the fortress doorway with a devastating explosion, the hollowed out interior began to shake violently before the entire fortress caved in on itself. James climbed up onto the Abrams and opened the hatch before he helped the girls up, they climbed into the main battle tank one at a time before James followed them in and closed the hatch behind him, James moved to the right and sat in the gunner's seat as he took control of the mounted LMG.

"Alright Marines, let's go do what we do best! Kick ass and chew bubblegum!" James yelled into the comms. "But we're all out of gum." The Marines replied in unison before a [GATE] opened in front of the Abrams, the engine roared before it drove through and came out on the outskirts of a quiet town, James climbed out of the tank and found multiple rifles pointed at him from behind sandbags and from recon towers. "Hold your fire, it's the Sergeant!" A voice yelled from behind the sandbags. "What the hell?" James said to himself before the Super Stallion roared overhead. "Well, this is going to be interesting." James stated before he hopped off the tank and stood by to help the girls down. "Oh, this is gonna be fun." Ayumi said as she readied her bow.

A/N: Hey hey, sorry that this took so long to release this chapter, so much bullshit going on at work and also trying to stream on the weekends. I'm trying to get back into the flow of writing but it feels like I've kinda backed myself into a corner; but when in doubt, a McGuffin is your out. I don't even know anymore, if it seemed to get repetitive in the middle or near the end, I apologize as I was probably exhausted. Anyway, like I said in the update, chapter 11 might not be out for a while since it will rely on the manga/LN heavily so I'll have to go at it slower. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.