The Legends Still Live On

Bogen Siebundzwanzig-komma-ein: Extras Neun und Zehn

Kapitel Dreiundzwanzig: Vorschau – Ein Schlag rot gefärbt

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For all that it was worth, despite what the final results may have said, the second-round battle between Ooarai High School and Anzio Scuola Secondaria di Secondo Grado – a mouthful of a name, yes it was, but at least it wasn't as much of one as Pravda's full name was, which was as long as a paragraph at minimum – was extremely intense. Although in the end all of the Italian school's vehicles were eliminated with hardly any loss to the multinational high school's forces, they still put up a remarkable fight.

Of course, that wasn't good enough for some among Anzio's ranks. That was to be expected, because victory was always something that was worth striving for, especially in the Arts of Warfare. Victory in this competition proved the superiority of one group's fighting prowess over the other, and the way one fought in battle often spoke much of one's character. At least, that was one way to look at it.

None in Anzio thought so more than Francesca, the Capo del Gruppo of the Italian school's Gruppo di Caccia. She wore the typical pilot's uniform for Anzio: a white skirt, white button-up shirt, and a brown leather pilot's jacket left open, which featured an Italian tricolor patch on one shoulder and the distinct pizza emblem of Anzio on the other. With smooth jet-black hair put into two pigtails, each hanging down a little past her shoulders, and brown eyes added to a sun-kissed skin tan that was just right, the Italian flyer was certainly a head-turner in appearances. And, like many of her countrymen, she was very passionate in expressing her opinions.

After getting baited into a chase with Ooarai's Fw 190 A-4 that zapped all her energy by the end of it due to the Würger's great exploitation of the scissors maneuver, her G.55 Serie 1 was swiftly shot down by none other than Erika-Dietlinde Hartmann's Bf 109 E-4, which ended all Italian aerial resistance and led to eventual domination for Ooarai.

But Francesca had words for Erika when the battle was over. And they were not entirely kind. "You think I'm just going to accept this… this mockery of yours?" she questioned the blonde German girl, emphasizing her speech with hand gestures. "If you think this is going to win you favor, then here's a wake-up call: the world doesn't care for traitorous cowards like you! And I won't accept you humiliating us with your misguided victory!"

Erika, being who she was and never submitting herself to anyone's will, coldly responded with a sharp gaze, "Not everything is as black and white as it appears on the surface. You'd do well to remember that." That comment about her being a traitorous coward was clearly inspired from the events of the previous year.

Francesca stepped closer and was right up in the German girl's face as she countered with, "And you'd do well to remember that there are consequences to your actions." Backing up a step and about to leave, she ended with, "You've got red dripping from your ledger, so much that you should be drowning in it. Try to avoid adding anymore… if you can help it, that is." The fiery Italian then walked away to immerse herself in Anzio's traditional post-battle party.

But Erika kept watching her as she walked off, silently questioning what she meant by her words. Watching from further off, Manfred Nishizumi had caught wind of the confrontation, and loathe as he was to say such, he knew exactly what Francesca was referring to with the comment of blood on Erika's hands.

But life went on, and a couple of months later the two of them were taking on arguably their biggest challenge yet: leading Ooarai's meager forces up against the might of Shkola No.34 'Pravda' for the semifinal round. They had to do so in the middle of the bitter Russian winter also, but not even the infamous freezing temperatures characteristic to Siberia could quench the fire that burned in Erika's heart now. Because this fight, for her, was personal. That was made clear to the rest of Ooarai when they overheard her upon the battle's commencement, "Der Russe. Wird. Fallen." The Russians will fall.

It was for that reason exactly that Ooarai's Jagdstaffel followed her orders completely without question this fight, as seeing the blonde German girl with such fire in her eyes was enough to make anyone do anything in their power to not unleash it. So none of her pilots questioned her orders to remain at high altitudes and let the enemy come to them, even if there were some that thought it a better idea to go after the enemy themselves.

Manfred was not as successful in that regard, as his tankers pressured him into going straight after the enemy upon seeing them, and he had not the will to put a damper on morale. So he conceded and led them into attacking the enemy directly, even though he just knew he was walking straight into a trap. That was how Pravda's Kapitan worked, as he remembered him: Kolenka was always one for playing mind games.

Meanwhile, Erika saw her plan unfolding just as she anticipated as she spotted Sasha's fifteen-strong fighter force climb up out of the clouds approaching her. As she commanded her own six-strong force to engage the Russians, she ended her order by diving her recently-modified Bf 109 G-2 straight into the fray after her comrades. Soon after, she was climbing back up, having shredded Sasha's La-5FN in her pass. And so began the fight for revenge. Revenge for being so utterly humiliated, tormented, and manipulated a year ago in Kursk.

Frozen ground
Ride with the wind
Descend from the thick clouds like demons

A little over three hours into the battle, ground activity was as frozen as the landscape was, as Pravda had Ooarai completely surrounded. Up in the air, however, Pravda's Istrebitel'naya Aviatsionnaya Divizia was being slaughtered, mainly by the fury of Erika, but she was not the only one dropping the Russians. Up at such high altitudes, the Russian fighters' performance was severely degraded, so it was easier to drop them than it would've been at lower altitudes. And that was exactly what Ooarai did as they systematically downed all of the Russian fighters with no losses to themselves, only suffering scratches thanks to all of them not panicking at the Russians' far superior numbers.

Natasha, Sasha's right-hand woman, had gotten her Yak-9U upgraded during the off-season to a Yak-9UT with the 37 mm cannon and two 20 mm cannons, but she got the experience of her life when her plane just about exploded after Wolf connected an HE shell from her Me 410 A-1/U4's massive 50 mm cannon. The Russian sharpshooter took note of how they had severely underestimated just how deep Erika's animosity with Pravda went, because it was clearly deep enough to allow her to swat aside Sasha like she was but a fly and to invigorate the rest of her team into following her lead.

Now, after all aerial opposition was disposed of and after rearming with appropriate weaponry, the Ooarai Jagdstaffel set course for the town that Ooarai's Panzerzug was trapped within. The weather was horrible, with very low visibility, however it was not destined to remain so as night began setting in. Upon reaching the town, the weather was noticeably improving as the snow stopped falling and the clouds started thinning out.

Hartmann's girls
Come for their tanks
The enemy trembles with fear

Down on the ground, Nikita, Pravda's short, sharpshooting IS-2 gunner, was hastily running to get back to the IS-2 mod. 1944 he commanded and gunned for this year, as he heard planes approaching. He did not identify them as friendly judging by the sounds, though Kolenka, being who he was, was too overconfident to see that.

It did no good, however, as a 500 kg bomb dropped right on the IS-2, courtesy of Anna Novat's Fw 190, putting the Soviet heavy tank out of the fight and taking away a key component of Pravda's Tankovaya Brigada.

Almost immediately after, a loud and deep bang echoed from the skies, and Pravda's KV-2 found itself raising the white flag after experiencing a well-placed 50 mm AP round from Wolf's Me 410. This meant Pravda no longer had any heavy tanks available to them. A secondary achievement of the airstrikes was that they were instigating panic into Pravda's remaining tankers, as they were caught completely by surprise.

"Blyat', v ukrytie! Zhivo!" Kolenka barked at the Russians to get their asses to cover upon realizing they were under attack. Another enemy fighter dived down and released its payload onto another Russian tank, shaking the ground as the rest of Pravda did their best to get to cover. As soon as he was in his T-34-85, he tried raising Nikita on the radio to get a sitrep. "Nikita, otkuda tut vragi?!"

One!
By one!
The Russians' big plan!
Will die where it stands!

"Sasha, ty, blin, gde?!" Kolenka tried raising Sasha soon after getting no response from Nikita. All he got from the Komandir Divizii was static, as well. In frustration, he slammed his fist into the armor as he ascended out of his hatch to get a better look at the situation. What awaited him wasn't pretty. "What the hell happened…?"

Upon observing his team's positions, he found at least three of his tanks brutally knocked out, all from airstrikes it appeared as the craters indicated. This was unsettling, as the big burly Russian had never foreseen this happening.

He saw another peculiar thing as he looked to the skies, and upon squinting, he hastily dropped into his tank, closing the hatch as he yelled at his driver to move, "DVIGAJ!" The reason for such alarm was by his sighting of a Bf 109 with a black tulip nose lining him up for a strafing run. And, by the nose art, he knew exactly to whom that Khudoy belonged.

Killing ground!
You demanded surrender!

As a flurry of bullets of 7.92 mm and 20 mm calibers impacted the armor of the evading Russian tank, Kolenka began to wonder what the hell happened up in the sky to allow this interference in his great plan.

It was going so well, too. He had led Ooarai's tanks straight into his trap, and then completely besieged them as he had them totally surrounded and vastly outnumbered. It was such a one-sided battle. He had even been merciful enough to offer them the chance to surrender, giving them three hours to decide.

Turn around!
You will never survive

And now this. This complete turn-around of the situation Kolenka could have never possibly foreseen. Ooarai had been a no-name school to him, and therefore he had not seen any need to prepare for fighting against them.

But just a few days prior to the battle, he was so reliably informed over tea by Darrence and Lynnette of St Gloriana that Ooarai had that girl commanding their fighters. He remembered her well enough, Erika. He remembered how he had tried messing with her head last year. It was a fun time, as he got to keep her almost nude for him at all hours, which allowed him to see that stunningly attractive body of hers. It was a shame he never got to touch, though.

Killing ground!
The battle at Severodvinsk!
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur-ur-UR-uuuuurns!

But some other interesting news he found out about Ooarai was that their tanks were commanded by the younger Nishizumi brother, which gave him a bit of trepidation. He didn't know much about Manfred, as his focus was more on his older brother Michael, but from what little he did know about him, he knew the younger Nishizumi was absolutely dedicated to Erika. That was what unsettled him.

And, yet again, he had proven to underestimate the blond-haired German girl herself. He did not think she would channel her rage against him and use it as a nearly-endless supply of fuel for her combat prowess. Surely she couldn't have taken Sasha and the others down all by herself? Even with five other wingmen, there was no way she could've taken out all of Pravda's aviation… Could she?

But as her Bf 109 climbed away after buzzing his T-34, Kolenka found himself now looking at the blonde German girl with a certain wariness. He felt a bit unsettled by what might transpire afterwards if she was allowed to get close to him because of the sheer focus she was putting into eliminating him. While he had brute strength in the loads, she knew exactly how to drop him to the ground regardless, having done so before a year prior when she escaped his clutches.

Up inside the Bf 109, Erika had the thrill of battle singing in her blood. It was also the promise of returning the favor to Kolenka that had her so fiercely determined to come out on top of this fight. She just couldn't wait until she made that big Russian bear pay.

But that would have to wait for a little longer. It didn't please her craving for Kolenka's blood, but it was necessary that she be patient for a bit, as she had already agreed to a plan. And she had already played her part well enough. Now, it was time for the next step to commence.

(Fall in line!)
Battle formations!

While the airstrikes were underway all around them, Ooarai's Panzerzug was waiting for said airstrikes to fully divert Pravda's attention away from them. They were all mounted up in their tanks, ready to break out.

"Oi, Nishizumi!" Manfred heard the voice of Ooarai's Student Council President call from the Panzer 38(t) with a rolling turtle on its turret sides. A young man that was rather short in stature, had a full head of reddish-brown hair and similarly colored eyes, it was rare for Akio Kadotani to do anything more than kick up his feet and snack on dried sweet potatoes. But for the survival of the school, he would do absolutely anything. He nodded to Manfred with an appreciative grin. "Thanks for getting us this far."

(Show no fear!)
Hunting them down!

Following up next was the breakout from the church that served as their redoubt, with the winterized Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. F leading and the freshly-upgraded Panzer IV Ausf. F2 right behind the assault gun.

"Unternehmen Wintergewitter begins now," Manfred notified over comms as the charge began. With a force that had gotten plenty of rest and had morale at an all-time high, he liked their chances of successfully breaking the siege. His overall mood was that of cool-headedness, ready for what was to come and already looking onwards from there. The Russians were nobody to fear. Sure, they had large numbers and highly capable tanks. However, it took someone with sufficient skill to be able to exploit those advantages. Or, in his case, to turn those into disadvantages.

(Break their will!)
Show them no mercy!

With the terror instigated by the Jagdstaffel, Pravda's tanks were in no shape to counter any attack. Erika had successfully struck fear into all the Russians' hearts through Ooarai's complete annihilation of Pravda's air power, meaning that the Tankovaya Brigada was now aware that they were not being saved this time.

"Erinner dich, kein Russe," Manfred heard Erika remind him over comms of the objective in very cold terms: 'remember, no Russian.' Not a single Russian was to be left standing after the battle was over. While he was ready to follow that plan, he was getting concerned over Erika falling into such dark thoughts. The Erika he knew before was completely different to the one he knew now. All he could hope for was that annihilating Pravda would knock her back into sense, but he honestly doubted it.

Ooarai's forces, attack!

"They're coming this way?" Kolenka wondered, stunned as he observed the Ooarai force charge straight towards his position, which featured the bulk of his own tanks. He then began furiously ranting. "Oh, what an idiot! I'll show that Nishizumi svoloch! Nobody dares to defy the great Kolenka!" He ended by dropping into his T-34 and preparing to battle.

The breakout came to a climax when three T-34-85s, one of them Kolenka's own, were the targets for a combined attack. The Pravda tanks had no hope of stopping them all, as they were still in shock from the drastic turn of events. That made room for the leading StuG III F to drive a shot straight into one of the T-34s, taking it out of the fight and creating a hole. The only loss was the I-Go otsu, which had veered off beforehand to serve as cannon fodder, taking the incoming fire rather than the rest of the Panzerzug taking it, and making Pravda open to retaliation as they reloaded.

Round!
Them up!
Look into their eyes!
No more of their lies!

Following that, Ooarai's tanks all funneled through the hole, with the Panzer IV F2 giving a parting shot to another T-34-85 as it passed by, taking it down and out of the fight. During this moment, Kolenka had climbed up to expose his upper body through the commander's hatch and briefly locked eyes with Manfred, who was commanding heads-up as he always did. The big burly Russian saw the look in the younger Nishizumi's eyes, and it eerily reminded him of Michael Nishizumi's cold, calculating gaze. It was even more chilling since the Russian had realized in that moment he had severely underestimated the German boy's abilities, as well. Manfred had not been fooled by the maskirovka tactics Kolenka was so well known for.

And then the Panzer IV was long gone along with the rest of the Ooarai Panzerzug. Kolenka gritted his teeth. "Za nimi, debil!" he sharply commanded his driver to move it, while also calling him a moron thanks to his irritable mood. In response, the T-34's V-2 diesel engine let out a brief bellow of sooty smoke as the tank accelerated off in the direction of the enemy.

Looking back, Manfred saw the Russian Kapitan's T-34-85 turn around and start chasing after them. He made a mental note of it and returned his gaze forward, where the situation was about to get a lot nastier, it seemed, as he spotted four more T-34s up ahead.

Killing ground!
You demanded surrender!

"Don't worry about us, we've got this!" Akio Kadotani waved off Manfred's concern over comms of his spontaneous plan to take all four of those T-34s on with only his crew and their Panzer 38(t).

The vibrant brunette team Captain didn't like the idea of splitting up even further, but simply went along with it. What other choice did he have? "Alright," he conceded. "Good luck, Schildkröte." 'Schildkröte' was the callsign for the Panzer 38(t), meaning turtle.

And so the small Czechoslovakian tank charged headlong into the foursome of seemingly titanic Russian tanks. In the gunner's seat, Akio cracked his neck as he grew a confident expression, ready for action. "Well, let's see what our limit is, yeah?" he proposed to his two other crewmates, who were also members of the Ooarai Student Council. The small Japanese young man knew they were very likely to get taken out, but it mattered not as long as he could stall the Russians for long enough, if not take some of them down.

Turn around!
You will never survive

It was an absolute mess, how the skirmish between the Panzer 38(t) and four T-34s went. The comparatively tiny 37 mm Czechoslovakian cannon often bounced shots if it hit the Russian tanks at too much of an angle, which was a rather common occurrence when attacking the heavily sloped front and rear of the tanks. So instead, Akio saved his killing shots until he could unleash them into the flatter sides of the T-34s, as it was there that the 37 mm gun could penetrate with ease at point-blank.

At one point in time, Erika's Bf 109 and Anna's Fw 190 came in for support. The Austro-Bavarian attacked first, launching two of the 210 mm Werfer-Granate 21 rocket-propelled mortars at the Russians, and taking out a T-34-85 in the process. The Swabian followed, dive-bombing and dropping a 250 kg bomb onto the second T-34-85, claiming that one for herself. Using the 37 mm gun, Akio had managed to take out the two 76 mm-armed T-34s in the midst of the Panzer 38(t) driving circles around them.

Killing ground!
The battle at Severodvinsk!
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur-ur-UR-uuuuurns!

With their work done, the two German fighters sped off into the dark sky, and the Czechoslovakian tank rushed off to link back up with the main Panzerwaffe.

But, having caught back up and now lurking in the shadows, Kolenka decided to interfere. "Vali suki," he ordered his gunner to take down that fucker, sticking up out of the commander's hatch on his T-34-85 as he commanded heads-up.

The Russian tank slung an 85 mm BR-365A shell at the Czechoslovakian tank, brutally knocking it out of the fight as it connected. It was honestly overkill against the light tank, but the big Russian tank commander could not care any less presently. He had a fight to win, all by himself if need be. Besides, overkill was kind of his thing, anyway.

Meanwhile, on the Leopold big screens there for the spectators, as well as on worldwide TV broadcast, everyone watching had seen the lightning fast turn-around Ooarai had just performed, when it looked only minutes ago as if they were about to get pummeled into submission.

See Ooarai's forces standing tall
All for one and one for all

Back inside the church, a massive figurative bomb had been dropped on all of Ooarai's combatants by the Student Council. "If we do not achieve overall victory in this year's International High School Arts of Warfare Tournament… then Ooarai High School will be shut down," Akio had revealed with an uncharacteristic-for-him grave tone.

While that was enough in and of itself to make them all want to fight under a united cause, Erika herself had another reason beyond that and her desire for revenge against Kolenka. A few weeks prior, she and Manfred had gotten a special visitor in the form of the boy's mother, Kikka Nishizumi. She came with a warning that Otto Nishizumi, his father, would have him cast out of the family if he lost against Pravda, to prevent him from further staining their family name, as she had said he phrased it as.

Over her dead body would Erika allow that to happen.

Enemies fall at their feet
Don't forget, no mercy

So, overall, Erika's three reasons for wanting to so badly win this fight had her showing absolutely no mercy to Pravda. And she had made sure that Manfred understood that she would not accept any less from him, either. No mercy.

With that kind of attitude, it was no surprise that the Russians were falling so shockingly to Ooarai. Some of them were begging for mercy, even. Part of that had to do with just how off-guard they managed to catch Pravda's ground forces with their initial airstrikes, but another large part had to do with the sheer brutality displayed during Ooarai's attacks.

See Ooarai's forces standing tall
Conquer foes and slaughter all

It just so happened that Otto and Kikka Nishizumi were both in attendance, watching everything on the Leopold. Otto was a man with dark brown hair always kept in a presentable appearance, along with dark brown eyes that were incredibly sharp, not missing a single detail of anything, much like Michael in that regard. He commonly wore a black suit with a blood red tie, with the cold weather of Siberia seeing him also wearing a black jacket. Overall, he was someone in which it was obvious that he was of high prestige, though he was also understated in a way, made plain by how impossible it was to read his expressions and his relative silence.

Kikka, meanwhile, had the same vibrant shade of brown coloring her hair as Manfred had, normally reaching down to the middle of her back like a wavy curtain. She also had that same shade of brown serving as her iris colors. She was somewhat tall for a woman, being just barely shorter than her husband who was about average for a man in height. This evening she wore a wine-red cocktail dress, simple in nature but still matching and emphasizing her own physique masterfully, with black tights, knee-high boots made of dark brown leather with a fur liner on the inside, and a black coat with white fur lining the inside to counter the cold.

Although loyal and submissive, the born-and-raised German woman was also surprisingly bold under cases where that was absolutely necessary of her. Such as now, with this threat to cast Manfred out of the family if Ooarai lost to Pravda. That was why she hid a smile to herself upon seeing how Ooarai had a very real chance of beating Pravda now. She just knew that, if nothing else motivated her, then Erika would find it within her to support her cause and prevent the casting out from coming to pass. Kikka knew just how close of a relationship her neighbor/friends' younger daughter had with her younger son, and she was counting on that aspect to drive her to claim victory.

Enemies fall at their feet
Victory and great defeat

Of course, the Nishizumi patriarch and matriarch were not the only special guests present in the stands. Before the fight began, Michael Nishizumi only stuck around to give some brief pleasantries to his parents before heading off to sit elsewhere with Isabel-Justina Hartmann and another familiar face from the past: Gertrud Königsberg, with her brown head of gently curled hair reaching below her shoulders, dark brown and sharp irises that indicated a hardened fighter, and her fiery temper that made her prone to often throwing punches at anyone who got on her bad side.

But both Erika and Isabel could attest that, once one got on good enough terms with her, then Trudi, as she had been nicknamed what felt like eons ago, was actually a relatively nice person. A bit quiet, but still a staunch believer in doing what was right.

All three Germans were closely watching the battle now that Ooarai had gotten itself a leg up on Pravda. It was obvious that Isabel was silently cheering Erika on, with the hopeful face she had focused on the screen and the clenched fist that looked ready to fly to the sky with a big whoop. Michael was busied with thinking more of how he would eventually have to break the news that this was not the same Erika that Isabel knew. He had heard from his brother how the blonde had drastically changed, becoming far more hostile and cold-hearted than before.

All he could hope for was that Erika would not remain forever lost in her own darkness, which was exactly what Manfred was thinking at that moment as well. The next moment, he was watching as the skies suddenly started filling with tracer fire and the sounds of fully automatic anti-aircraft guns.

The triple-A was a nasty surprise for Ooarai's Jagdstaffel, and it went on to claim their Ki-10-II relatively easily. The old Japanese biplane was about as far as one could get from a durable plane. Pravda's anti-aircraft fire was strong enough to drive the remaining Ooarai fighters away to higher altitudes, where cloud cover and sheer darkness served as their protection.

"Verdammt, I should've known Sasha would've planned this ahead of time if that dumb bear didn't…" Erika expressed her clear displeasure with this situation over comms to Manfred.

"Don't worry about it," the vibrant brunette reassured, retaining complete calmness even at this unexpected development. "Was it only light Flak you ran into?"

"For the most part, ja," the blonde confirmed. "Though from what I saw, I imagine they must have a couple of heavy guns sitting further back."

"That's all I need to know," Manfred responded as he hatched a plan in his mind. To his radio operator, he said, "Get me a line to Nilpferd." 'Nilpferd' was the callsign for the StuG III F, meaning hippo.

His radio operator was an optimistic and friendly ginger known as Samuru Takebe. His ginger-colored hair was on the longer side for boys, reaching his shoulders, and he had a pair of light brown eyes. He was a very friendly and highly social person, very much like a typical adolescent. But he was also notable for his great loyalty to his friends, of which Manfred was one. Hence his lack of hesitation in the least bit to fulfill the Captain's order.

Moments later, the German Panzerkommandeur was watching Kolenka's T-34-85 storm over a snowdrift in pursuit of Ooarai's M3 Lee and freshly-deployed Char B1bis. Why his own Panzer IV F2 and the StuG III F were not mentioned was because they had hidden themselves away in the dips beside the snowdrift.

The German Panzer and Sturmgeschütz were not detected, and so they both climbed back up the snowdrift, proceeding back the way they came from towards the town.

While they were not detected, Kolenka did notice the absence of the two German war machines shortly after, which altered his plans a bit. Observing the distance between him and the other two Ooarai tanks, he calculated that he was close enough to strike accurately. "Ostanavlivaemsya i valim oboih, bystro!" the big burly Russian Kapitan ordered his crew to stop and quickly dispose of the two tanks.

The order went fulfilled, as the T-34-85 came to a halt in the snow and quickly lined up the Char B1bis in its sights. One shot later, the French heavy tank was knocked out. Adjusting aim for the M3 Lee, several seconds later the Russian tank fired a second shot at the American tank, taking that one out of the running as well.

One!
By one!
The Russians' big plan!
Will die where it stands!

Meanwhile, closer to the town, Pravda's anti-aircraft guns had managed to claim Ooarai's brand new D.520, but they were now being pressured tremendously with the presence of Ooarai's own generous number of anti-aircraft guns ripping apart the Russian AA trucks. The highlight of the Ooarai Flak-Batterie was the very much Jerry-rigged but no less terrifying 8,8 cm FlaK 37 Sfl. auf 18-ton Zugkraftwagen. In short, it was basically a heavy half-track with the fearsome 88 mm Flak cannon mounted on it.

Gunning for the big Flak truck was Helma Frederike Elisabeth Rosalind Adolfine von Benz, or simply Helma von Benz, a tall, high-class German girl with long black hair and brown eyes. Normally, she was a part of Erika's ground crew, but because of her ability to shoot pretty much anything with incredible accuracy, she often manned the 88 mm Flak gun when necessary. She had extremely accurate shot placement that stemmed from her being an archer for as long as she could remember, a master archer at that. Even now in this battle, she still carried her bow and a quiver filled with an assortment of custom arrows along with her. There were situations in which such a weapon could be exploited.

With everlasting grace, the high-born German girl fired a Sprenggranate high-explosive shell at one of Pravda's own AA trucks, obliterating it completely as shards went everywhere.

Killing ground!
You demanded surrender!

"Nimm zurück!" the commander of the heavy half-track commanded to withdraw, ostensibly to allow a reload to take place without threat of return fire. It was a smart decision in the end, as Pravda's AA trucks had grown aware of what was going on and had started mobilizing. For what purpose, Ooarai knew not, but either way it wasn't a good sign.

Within the town proper, the StuG III F and Panzer IV F2 found one last opponent besides Kolenka in the form of a 76 mm-armed T-34. The Russian tank tried tracking the Panzer, but the two German machines split up in a move very similar to a double envelopment. That drove the T-34 crew to panic as they tried to keep sight of both targets, but ultimately it proved impossible as in the time it took to decide, the StuG III F had stopped and taken the Russian tank down with a single shot.

Turn around!
You will never survive

Elsewhere on the outskirts leading up to the town, the battle of the Flak trucks continued on as tracers from both sides created a spectacular show. Overall, the Ooarai side had suffered less losses, but considering the inferiority of their starting numbers, they were not necessarily worse off than Pravda, who had lost many more of their own. The night did allow for an advantage for Ooarai, however, who held their fire until seeing the muzzle flash of Pravda's AA guns give them away.

From the rear of the Ooarai lines, the Acht-acht pulled out into the open, loaded with another Sprenggranate. Helma used her sharp eyesight to sight one of the heavier Russian AA trucks, a YaG-10 chassis armed with a 76 mm 3-K gun. And, once again, the shell struck true, blowing the truck to smithereens.

Killing ground!
The battle at Severodvinsk!
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur-ur-UR-uuuuurns!

However, this time, there was no chance for the FAMO to pull back, as Kolenka's T-34-85 spotted it via muzzle flash and opened fire. Reacting quickly, Helma jumped off the half-track, perpendicularly to the left of the shell's incoming path, narrowly escaping the HE blast as she tumbled in the snow and shrapnel flew everywhere.

Shaking her head and getting back up to regain her bearings, she instinctively readied her bow and started running away towards the southern edges of Severodvinsk, where Kolenka appeared to be heading in pursuit of the remainder of Ooarai's tanks.

A side effect of Pravda's AA trucks redirecting their attention to Ooarai's Flak trucks was that they completely forgot about the still-present aviation of Ooarai. This was first highlighted when Erika went in for a strafing run and was able to take one of them out in a single pass.

Killing ground!
You demanded surrender!

That threw about another change of tactics for Pravda. With the reminder that Ooarai still had air power on their side, the Russian AA trucks started all converging on Kolenka's T-34-85, committed to defend Pravda's leader until their last breath.

"Esli eta pushka s kryl'yami sejchas zhe ne razob'yotsya, ya vas vsekh v gulag upeku!" the blonde Russian tanker threatened to send the entirety of Pravda's Zenitnyy Batal'on to the gulag if they allowed the Me 410 A-1/U4 to get a shot on him.

Turn around!
You will never survive

The Russian AA trucks offered their protection as best they could, helping to keep Ooarai's four remaining fighters on their toes enough and avoid any direct challenge to Kolenka. However, there was a downside to this strategy, and that had mainly to do with their speed.

The AA trucks were not able to maintain as high of a speed through the snow as the T-34 could due to higher ground pressure on the part of the trucks, meaning the Russian tank had to slow its pace dramatically to receive the benefits of the AA cover. It was a slow, tumultuous grind through the snow towards the town.

Killing ground!
The battle at Severodvinsk!
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur-ur-UR-uuuuurns!

Up in Severodvinsk proper, Manfred was racking his brain to come up with a plan that would work to take down Kolenka. It shouldn't have been as hard as it was, because Ooarai outnumbered Pravda two-to-one now in tanks with the Panzer IV F2 and StuG III F against the sole T-34-85. However, the younger Nishizumi knew not to underestimate Kolenka's prowess.

There were no plans he could think of that were not absolutely one-hundred percent guaranteed to work, even with that numerical advantage. The T-34's innate balance between the three tank attributes of mobility, firepower, and armor, and the blatant superiority the Russian tank had over the two German vehicles in each of those, made it a difficult foe to counter.

And with time running out until the inevitable showdown with the Russian colossus, Manfred knew he had to think of something quickly.

Meanwhile, the four remaining fighters of Ooarai – Erika's Bf 109 G-2, Anna's Fw 190 A-4, Wolf's Me 410 A-1/U4, and an F4F-3 piloted by a ninth-year German footballer brunette called Alena Klose – were probing the Russian anti-aircraft screen with random strafing runs, oftentimes from different directions as they attempted to disperse them enough to send in Wolf to finish off Kolenka. But Pravda held stubborn, which resulted in more than a few close calls with getting shot down as the four fighters endured scrapes and bangs.

Down on the ground, there were still skirmishes here and there between the two sides' respective AA trucks, but they were nowhere near as intense as before as attrition took its toll, driving Ooarai's Flak-Batterie to fight defensively instead of taking the offensive.

But it provided a good enough cover for Helma von Benz to reach the town before Kolenka did. It winded her to run that fast for that long through the snow, but it was worth it, as now she could set herself up for what looked to be the impending final showdown. She scaled a building to get up onto its roof and prepared herself.

Soon enough, Kolenka's T-34-85 came steamrolling into the town, before slowing down and growing more cautious. Obviously, what remained of Ooarai was highly likely to launch an attack under these circumstances, so Kolenka did his best to make sure he was prepared enough to not allow them to get first shot on him.

Then, from between a few buildings, he spotted the Panzer IV F2 sprinting across the land into cover. The Russian T-34 started approaching in an indirect path towards the German Panzer, carving a path through the openings and gaps in buildings to try and head off the German.

Watching in the stands, Gertrud Königsberg saw the movements of both sides, including those of Ooarai's aviation that circled above like vultures, just waiting for the opportunity to strike. "The sheer abilities of any one warrior are certainly aspects that greatly determine the outcome of any battle. Under those parameters, the strong will always prevail over the weak," she mused, knowing Isabel was listening. She wanted her to listen to her for this. "But the greater deciding factor, I have come to find, is the ability of someone to render the advantages hidden within those abilities null. Strength and superiority over a foe is not limited to sheer abilities on the battlefield. Rather, that strength could also be the ability to out-wit one's foes."

Isabel glanced at Gertrud to her side with an appraising look. In the back of her head, she knew she had already known this, but hearing it again just made it seem obvious that Ooarai was destined to win from the very beginning. Clearly, they were the side that had more wit, the side that was cleverer, compared to Pravda.

Down on the ground, the tank showdown was now much faster in pace as Kolenka started chasing the Panzer IV F2 and StuG III F around the area. It was a wild chase that saw no opportunities for either side to open fire without missing wildly. However, the Russian found himself unable to catch up to either of the Germans. And yes, he knew that there was a German commanding that Sturmgeschütz. The commanding style of its commander was characteristically German.

His name was Erwin, or at least that was his soul name. Erwin was a history buff, commanding a group of other history buffs in the StuG III F. He had short blonde hair and wore a field cap that gave him a stunning likeness to Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, which apparently also extended to his battlefield prowess. He was capable of performing all the same tactics and deceptions as the Generalfeldmarschall himself was, albeit on a much smaller scale, but with no less the decisiveness and confidence than the original had possessed.

But back to why Kolenka couldn't catch up with neither Erwin nor Manfred. It was because he was now receiving fire from that flying tank destroyer that his driver was tasked with evading. "Chyort, vse menya podveli, pidory ushcherbnye! U vas, pridurkov, byla tol'ko odna zadacha, i vy vse ravno oblazhalis!" he stared furiously ranting about how Pravda's AA trucks had failed him, that they had only one job and yet they still managed to fail at it. Another pass had him evading the sharp boom that echoed whenever that damn 50 mm cannon fired.

Turning a corner, Kolenka didn't even notice he had lost track of the StuG III F, but he found the Panzer IV F2 ahead of him as a far more important target now. The German Panzer quickly turned a corner, and the Russian made to follow, until he spotted something queer just ahead of where the German had turned off at. Realization hit him like a tank shell – no pun intended – upon noticing that was not merely snow, and he hastily commanded, "Speredi! Ogon'!"

The Russian crew of the T-34-85 knew better than to question and fulfilled the order immediately. After the shot was fired, it became obvious that the target was taken out as what was previously assumed to be snow was revealed instead to be a StuG III F lying in ambush.

The Russian commander heard a clang, and discovered an arrow wedged into the hinge of his hatch. Looking around, he eventually spotted Helma von Benz on a nearby roof with her bow pointed in his direction. The high-born German girl merely smirked with an oozing confidence as she tilted her head to gesture to Kolenka's side, the side the Panzer IV had turned off into.

Looking to his side, Kolenka's breath caught in surprise and a hint of dread when he found the distinct ball-type muzzle brake of the Panzer IV F2's KwK 40 aimed straight at him, the German Panzer having come to a stop immediately after turning the corner. A bellow of flames from the barrel's end and a resounding boom were all he remembered before meeting his fate.

The first thing that occurred at the traditional post-battle handshake was Erika swiftly walking up to Kolenka and, before anyone else could react, running her fist into his face with all the strength she could muster. Which was, quite surprisingly, a lot. It was enough to send the Russian colossus to the ground from the sheer force of the blow alone. Finally, one part of her ultimate plan for vengeance was complete. In a few months' time, she would have her chance to fulfill the rest of it.

Looking back up in a daze thanks to the titanic blow, Kolenka saw the pretty face of Erika filled to the brim with pure hatred, but what surprised him were the blonde's lack of continuing to beat him as well as the sideways stance of Manfred, which made him appear like he was ready to spring into action and defend her if necessary. Both were clearly still hopped up on adrenaline from the battle, Erika very much so, but Manfred as well, even if it wasn't as much in his case.

"Ugh…" the big Russian groaned as he brought a hand to his face, feeling the blood that ran from his nose. It astounded him that this little girl was so deceptively strong, in both body and mind. "I deserved that…"

Erika's eyes unconsciously widened at that, and she even took a step back. That was the very last thing she ever expected to hear from that Russian bear's mouth.

Up in the stands, Kikka turned towards her husband with a confident smile in place. "Now what did I tell you, meine Liebe?" she posed to him with a voice betraying her victorious feeling, flipping her hair with that borderline smug grin. "I always get what I want."

Otto merely shot a glance at his wife before returning his gaze to the Leopold. But he did not let her have the last word, "You must surely know, however, that everything I do is for a purpose, mein Schatz." A pointed glance toward her coupled with the amusement crinkling in his eyes told Kikka everything she needed to know, and it infuriated her in the fondest way possible, if such a feeling was possible in the first place. He had planned for her to react and try to counter him as she did, the master of machinations he was.

'Oh, damn you, you magnificent puppeteer…' Kikka thought with a certain affection. If there was one thing that could indeed be said about Otto, it was that everything he did was for a purpose, however hidden said purpose might've been.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kolenka: Don't think I'll forget this slight against me, you little wretch!

Erika: If you seriously consider yourself to be the one slighted, then you need to go to a mental institution, buddy!

Sasha: Well, it's not like he has one of those thinking tools in between his ears...

Kolenka: Sasha, why... I thought I could trust you to have my back here!

Sasha: KHA! Not even during the Apocalypse would that happen!

Manfred: Um, guys?

Everyone: WHAT?!

Manfred: Could we just, you know... put this all behind us and get back to our lives?

Akio: No way! I'm enjoying this! (chews a dried sweet potato)

Manfred: (mutters) I swear I'm the only sane one here...

Part of Projekt Erika.

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The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to Actas. The music belongs to Sabaton. Any references made belong to their respective owners.

Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability.

Special thanks to ChillingComrade for his Russian expertise.