Chapter eighteen: Liberation
Maho and the girl both got out of their respective tanks.
"Maho! It's been so long!" The girl launched herself into Maho's arms.
Maho grinned. "Same for you, Francesca,"
Francesca looked up. "Congratulations on beating the University team," She said.
"Thanks," Maho replied.
Francesca stood back up. "So, I guess things have been hard for you here," She said.
Maho nodded. "Yeah, it's been pretty stressful. I had to kill people, and friends died around me," She said.
"Oh. Sorry," Francisca said.
Maho shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. Anyways, why are you here?" She asked.
Francisca gave a smug smile. "My school ship was near Okinawa so they decided to send us as part of the reinforcements. We may not be one of the big shots but we can still pack a punch!" She exclaimed.
Maho nodded. "It's good to have you as an ally," She said.
"Maho!" Maho looked over and saw Kaito and Hiroi running over.
"Are you alright?" Kaito asked.
"I'm fine," Maho answered.
Hiroi looked at Francisca. "Who's that?" He asked.
"Oh, this is Francisca, the commander of the Senshadou team from Blue Division High School," Maho introduced.
Francisca ran over to Kaito and Hiroi. "Who are these los chicos?" She demanded.
"Uh, Kaito," Kaito stammered out.
"Hiroi," Hiroi introduced himself.
Francesca squealed. "Maho, you're surrounded by hot guys!" She shouted.
Maho turned her head. "Kaito's my half-brother. And Hiroi is older than me," She mumbled.
"That doesn't matter!" Francesca shouted.
"What the hell is Blue Division?" Kaito mumbled.
Francisca turned on him, forcing him to step back.
Maho stepped up. "Blue Division High School is a minor school-"
"What the hell does that mean?" Francisca intervened.
Maho shrugged. "It's not one of the big, famous schools." She said, and Francisca pouted.
"Okay, I get it," Kaito said. "Anyways, we have to continue pushing the enemy back."
Maho walked back to her Panzer X. "I guess we have to go back to the fight," She mumbled.
Francisca jumped on Maho. "Well, good luck!" She said.
"You too," Maho replied.
…..
"So the enemy is concentrated around here?" Hiroi pointed at the map of Nago.
"Yes, they're mostly centered around the Nago Special Support School and the city offices. They have around 12,000 troops left, with around twenty six tanks and nine helicopters. There were also reports of ships evacuating enemy troops out of Nago, so we'll have to call in the air force and navy to destroy them. We'll swing the 4th, 75th and 118th regiments through the left, while we'll use the Kuromorimine and Azul brigades to take Nago Junior High School and Okinawa Prefectural Hokubu Hospital. The Emperor's regiment will strike by Omiya Elementary School and the City office," The officer explained.
….
"So we'll head to the hospital?" Maho asked.
"Yeah, and there might still be patients, though it's unlikely. But try to be careful," Hiroi reaffirmed from the other side.
Maho nodded. "Thanks. We outnumber them significantly, so this will hopefully end quickly in our favor,"
"Señora, when will we head out?" Francisca's voice came out from the radio.
"Now," Maho answered.
"Si, at your command!" The high pitched voice confidently boomed.
Maho smiled. "Nice to see you excited. To all ladies; This is our last push to liberate this city. We will not stop until the enemy is shattered! Push through sweat and blood, and we will make it out alive and victorious!" From the radio Maho could hear the cheering of the girls from the rest of the Panzers. "For Kuromorimine and Blue Division! For victory! Panzer Vor!" She shouted.
"You heard her! Hacia adelante!" Francisca enthusiastically added.
Simultaneously sixteen tanks roared to life, drowning all other noise as they began their iron assault against the crumbling North Koreans.
Maho looked up as they drove through the city, watching the missiles in the sky fly over them. They descended into the city where they disappeared, only for Maho to watch several huge, orange explosions rise above the silhouette of the buildings. "Remember, if you see an enemy, eliminate him immediately." she said.
"Where are we going first?" Francisca asked.
Maho thought for a minute. "The High School. We're already on the route there," She decided. "Turn right!" She ordered, and the Panzer column veered to the right, going down the big road.
No resistance. Maybe they're only protecting certain positions until they're able to retreat, Maho thought. We really did a lot of damage to them… She could hear distant gunshots, telling her that the battle was still going.
"Objective straight ahead!" Maho's driver shouted. Maho looked forwards. Indeed, she could see the tall school building.
The right of Maho became heavily wooded. Maho became increasingly nervous. The enemy could pop out at any moment. Sweat dripped down her face. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. After a moment of thought her eyes snapped back open with a renewed vigor.
"Commander! Pokpung-Ho tank at the street corner up ahead!" Her driver shouted.
Maho scowled, but also felt relief. Finally, the enemy is showing himself, She thought. "Destroy it!" She shouted. The barrel exploded as it fired a shell at the enemy. The shell propelled itself forwards, hitting the Pokpung-Ho right in the turret. The turret burst into flames right as the shell made contact. The cupola opened and a tall fiery fountain spewed out, along with the screaming crew members who tried to crawl out of the burning coffin.
"Forwards!" Maho ordered, and the Panzer group gunned forwards. Suddenly from the forest came running out nearly a dozen North Korean soldiers, armed with grenades and rockets. "Fools! Why did they run out like that?" She spat out before turning the machine gun on them. She began cutting them down, systematically firing three bullets into each soldier in succession.
From the two school buildings in view machine gun fire began spitting bullets at Maho. Maho ducked into the tank as the bullets hit the hatch above. "Halt," She ordered, and the Panzer X sputtered to a halt. "Aim for the second story." She told her gunner, who turned the barrel upwards. She fired, and the building exploded.
Maho smiled. "Good job," She said. The Panzer X began to advance again, but stopped at the T junction, when several rockets flew past the Panzer X. On both sides lay several North Koreans in trenches, reloading their rockets. Several more Panzers rode up next to Maho, and turned their turrets to either side. The bombardment that lasted approximately five seconds killed all the ambushing North Koreans.
From the school building came even more small arms fire, making no dent in the thick armor of the advancing Panzers. Maho swiveled up her machine gun and fired at the windows, suppressing the North Koreans. Where's the infantry? Maho thought to herself. As if on cue around one hundred Japanese infantrymen began storming the school buildings.
They broke down the entrance doors, which were blocked with furniture and desks from the inside. The Japanese and North Koreans began a bloody close quarters fight, battling in each room and floor. Using grenades, bayonets and rifles, the Japanese cleared bunkers the North Koreans constructed out of the school desks and tables, across corridors and stairwells. In the auditorium fifty soldiers from both sides began a brawl, with bullets bouncing around the entire room. Grenades blew up entire rows of seats, and the North Koreans stacked sandbags on top the stadium to gun down any Japanese soldier that entered through the main entrance. The Japanese had to resort to using flamethrowers to burn out the defenders in the auditorium. The Japanese were slowly but surely winning the battle in the two front buildings.
Maho drove her Panzer X right next to the main building, by the sports field. In the field were the usual trenches and machine gun positions the North Koreans dug into.
Francisca's AMX-31 E halted next to Maho. She smiled at Maho. "This is more fun that I thought!" She said cheerfully.
"You have a very strange definition of fun," Maho retorted.
"I was always called weird," Francisca said. The turret of the AMX-31 E turned right, and fired at the center trench. Throwing sand and soldiers into the air, the trench collapsed from the explosion. Japanese infantry began storming the trenches, shooting down the now hapless North Koreans. The North Koreans attempt to flee, but are gunned down by the tanks and infantry.
The main building was secured in an hour, with almost all the defenders dead. The Japanese suffered fifty killed in the assault.
Maho looked at her map. "We have to turn right on the main road and then go straight until Kita Heiwa Dori," She said.
Francisca nodded. "Then what?" She asked.
"We'll meet up with the others at the city office." Maho answered.
The Panzer column began their march towards the hospital in high spirits.
"This is so easy!" Francisca shouted.
"Well, you did enter at the late game," Maho noted. "In the beginning it was very hard."
The Panzers moved quickly through the road, pushing roadblocks and sandbags manned by dead soldiers out of the way.
"Commander, enemy field position!" A Panzer commander radioed Maho.
"All tanks, fire at two o'clock!" Maho ordered. The entire Panzer column turned their turrets and fired a salvo at the position. The sandbags was blasted by a dozen explosions, completely erasing the existence of the North Korean position.
The Panzer group continued on their way to the hospital. Maho looked up and saw the large hospital building closing in on them. She winced when flashes of light came from the roof. "Take evasive manoeuvres!" She shouted. The Panzers dispersed as explosions made craters in the road. "They have anti tank weapons on the roof," She told Francisca through the radio.
"We gotta sort this thing out quick," Francisca replied.
They drove right up to the hospital, only to be stopped by the sandbags and trenches of the ground, and the machine guns on every floor of the hospital. Japanese soldiers surrounded the entire building, running across the parking lot and taking cover behind cars.
Maho drove up to the middle of the parking lot. "Support the infantry attack!" She ordered. The Panzer column spread out, covering the entire lot. The Panzers and infantry slowly crossed the parking lot together, taking out any hiding North Korean soldier and destroying defensive barriers. The North Koreans decided to fall back inside the hospital itself, barricading the doors and windows.
"Take us up to the door," Maho told her driver. The Panzer X rolled up in front of the door. "Fire!" She shouted. The door shattered into a thousand wooden pieces as the shell tore through it. The infantry stormed through the hole, killing the surprised defenders. They ran upstairs, only to encounter dozens of enemies on each floor, sprawled across the various hospital rooms.
The infantry did not find any patients in the hospital. They scoured the entire building, killing hiding North Koreans and uncovering coffins and graves full of dead civilians in hospital gowns. Enraged, the Japanese took no prisoners in the hospital. Gunshots echoed throughout the halls as squads of North Koreans were executed in firing lines. Eventually the Japanese flag was hoisted over the hospital roof.
Maho sighed with relief. "Good job. Now we'll have to assist in the attack against the city office,"
…..
Omiya Elementary School was a bloody battleground as the Japanese and North Koreans fought to control the school.
"Don't let them regroup!" Kaito shouted as he swung his guntō downwards through a North Korean soldier. He gripped his guntō and ran through a North Korean officer through his heart.
"Kaito-sama, please don't get excited from this," Tanya groaned as she fired her rifle across the field.
"Come on, we're so close to beating them," Kaito retorted. Several North Korean soldiers surrounded Kaito, bearing down with their bayonets. However, Kaito slashed through three of them and ducked out of the way as the rest of the North Koreans stumbled through the three bodies.
The five North Koreans were gunned down trying to chase down Kaito, who jumped back in surprise. He turned around and saw Lasagna with his Type 20, grinning.
"C'mon, commander. You gotta do better than that!" Lasagna said.
Kaito grinned. "Sure thing, buddy,"
"Look out, enemy tank!" Nishi shouted.
Kaito looked around and saw a Pokpung-Ho tank bearing down on him. Oh, fuck, He thought. He began running full speed backwards to the Japanese lines as the tank began firing its machine gun at him. "Aaah!" he jumped over a car and landed with a hard thud. The car behind him exploded as the tank barrel smoked.
"Commander!" Nishi aimed a Type 01 LMAT at the tank. She fired and the missile flew at the tank. Seconds later the entire vehicle blew up, throwing burning pieces of the chassis fly over Kaito.
"Thanks a lot." He called out. Nishi gave a thumbs up.
Four Type 10 MBTs entered the field, blasting the North Korean soldiers to oblivion.
"We're pushing them into the main school building!" Tanya shouted.
"After them!" Kaito ordered.
…...
Kaito and Tanya leaned against the wall up against the door.
"Get a grenade out," Kaito said. Tanya unbuckled a grenade and tossed it through the crack of the door. She slammed the door shut, and felt the explosion when the door shuddered. She slowly opened the door and pointed her rifle in the barren room. She opened the door open and entered the room. Kaito and the rest of the regiment followed in.
The hallway was riddled with bullets as the machine gun at the end fired at the crawling Japanese.
"God!" Kaito muttered.
"Let me get him," Earl Grey whispered, and aimed her Type 11 grenade launcher. The grenade howled as it sailed across the hallway, landing right on top of the machine gunner. The ceiling toppled on the position, crushing the soldiers.
"Let's go," Kaito said. They got up and ran forwards, past the crushed position.
Kaito broke through the classroom door, landing on top of a North Korean soldier. He struggled and screamed but Kaito quickly slit his throat. The other North Koreans looked on in surprise as Tanya and Nishi stormed in, gunning them all down.
….
Earl Grey and Naoki was in the auditorium.
"Damn it, we're outnumbered," Naoki muttered. Earl Grey smiled as she fired her grenade launcher across the room. One row exploded, throwing soldiers and chairs into the air. Naoki fired his Type 20 at the scurrying enemy soldiers.
"I guess this is okay," Naoki mumbled. He emptied his magazine and he ducked down to reload. "I wonder how many are left."
Earl Grey shrugged. "It really doesn't matter," She said. She shot another grenade, which blows up at the corner of the auditorium.
…...
"They're holed up in the cafeteria," Tanya said, as they looked over the corner.
Kaito shrugged. "Let's blow them up," He said.
Tanya groaned as Kaito jumped out of cover and ran into the cafeteria. "God damn it," She muttered as she chased after Kaito.
It took several minutes to clear out the cafeteria.
Kaito grinned as he cut down the last North Korean soldier. "Finally, level clear," He said.
Tanya stretched her legs. "Alright, we retook the school. Now we have to go to the city office," She told him.
Kaito looked at her. "Are you serious?" He demanded.
Tanya glared at him. "We have to," She said.
They got on an IFV, which began driving towards the city office. "Let's do this," Kaito exclaimed. Tanya reloaded her rifle.
As they neared the City Office they met up with Maho's Panzer column.
"Good day, Maho!" Kaito called at Maho.
Maho smiled and waved back. "How was your day?" She asked sarcastically.
Kaito grinned. "Fine, thank you very much. How about you?" He retorted.
"It was very explosive," Maho answered. They both began laughing. Tanya rolled her eyes and went back to her rifle.
They stopped short of the City Office, with Kaito and Tanya getting off while Maho continued to drive on with her Panzer.
"This is their headquarters. If we take them out their entire defense will crumble," Maho said.
Kaito nodded in agreement. "Let's go!" He shouted.
The field was already covered in a firefight, as the Japanese troops stood behind trees and hedges, fighting the North Koreans firing from the windows up above.
"Maho, we need support!" Kaito shouted.
Maho nodded and drove her Panzer into the field, followed by Francisca's AMX-31 E. "Fire at the second story window." She ordered. The turret creaked as it turned, aiming at the sniper above. With a deafening boom the window shattered and the sniper flew back.
"Suppress that floor!" Francisca shouted, and the AMX-31 E began firing its machine gun at the third story building.
The infantry began their assault, able to cross the field because of the armor support. Naturally Kaito led the charge, holding his guntō high. Soldiers around him fell down, cut down by machine gun fire, but he pushed on. Earl Grey fired her grenade launcher, and one window was covered in dust.
They breached the door and began their final push. Room after room saw the walls streaked with blood as the North Koreans were mercilessly killed by the Japanese, who were driven by a sense of impending victory. Kaito climbed opened the hatch that held the ladder that led to the ladder. He began climbing, followed by Tanya and Lasagna. When he reached the roof, Kaito saw several North Koreans manning machine guns and snipers. He silently walked up to them and began quickly pushing them over the edge. The North Koreans fell over, landing on the hard ground below. The ones that survived were killed by the troops on the ground.
"They're running!" Someone shouted. Kaito looked over the edge, and saw at least one hundred North Korean soldiers running away from the front. Panicking, many had dropped their weapons and equipment, heading towards the pier.
"Ladies, chase them down!" Maho ordered, and the crew wholeheartedly began hunting down the fleeing enemy. Using machine gun and cannon, they wiped out entire platoons in a single strike. From the back of the City Office Kaito ran out, joining the chase. North Korean soldiers that tried to surrender were quickly shot down, by the Japanese who were joyous in victory and anger at the mistreatment of civilians by their enemies.
The North Koreans led them to the pier, where there were several boats prepared to evacuate them. In the distance were several large barges, stuffed with North Korean soldiers. Motor boats began to sail away from the pier, but lucky shots from Maho's Panzer sunk them, with several unlucky soldiers, laden with heavy equipment, drowning in the dark, cold water.
Kaito looked at the transport ships in the distance. "God damn, how do we get them," He mumbled.
Maho sighed. "It doesn't matter now. We've finally done it,"
Suddenly a huge, red explosion rocked one of the transports. The Japanese watched with anticipation as several more explosions tore the ship apart. They saw hundreds of specks, sailors and soldiers, fall into the water. The ship exploded one last time and sank, its bow high in the air.
"It's the air force!" Francisca shouted, and the rest of the soldiers began to hoot and shout as Jets began launching more missiles at the rest of the fleet. Within twenty minutes all transports were hit, with fires engulfing entire decks of two ships. The bow of one ship exploded, and the insides of the ship was exposed. Hundreds of people struggled to stay afloat as the suction caused by the sinking ships pulled them into the water. It didn't help when jets and helicopters flew over, strafing those unfortunate in the water.
The entire fleet was in ruins. No ship was left alive as the air force continued to brutally pound the survivors for hours.
Maho and Kaito stared simply at the wreckage from afar.
"I can't believe it…" Maho muttered.
"We did it…" Kaito added.
"We beat them…" Tanya continued.
"We took back our city!" Francisca hollered at the top of her lungs.
Tanya grabbed Kaito in a bear hug. "We did it Kaito-sama!" She cried.
Kaito looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah, we did,"
Maho wiped her eyes. "This is just the beginning, but we're doing it," She said.
"Hell yeah!" Hiroi jumped on Maho's Panzer.
Maho stared at him. "Where were you?" She asked.
Hiroi shrugged. "Doing other things," He replied.
Maho looked out at the sea again. "Anyways, I can tell Miho that I've accomplished something today,"
"Sure thing! Tell her she has the best older sister in the world!" Francisca leaned in.
Maho smiled. "I have the best younger sister in the world," She told her.