Fair warning - this chapter contains major spoilers about the first episode of Operation Victory Arrow. If you don't want to be spoiled, after the line
"She would explode if she knew…" jump straight to "Want to check out my Striker when we have some free time?"
Chapter 26/Final - Sunday without God
Toshiro woke up at the usual time. He stood up from bed and dressed himself. After opening the door, he saw Alissa, albeit with her back turned to him.
"Decent?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Alissa turned around and looked at him. "Good… Morning, Toshiro."
"Morning, Kye. So, are we doing it?"
"I hope you're thinking about jogging."
"I wouldn't dare to say anything else. It would be a… multiverse grade catastrophe…"
"Heheheh..."
While they were jogging, Toshiro had to ask something.
"Kye, how many Neuroi do you expect to appear?"
"The amount and composition of the Neuroi is truly random, but within some boundaries. A yellow Probe can yield something from under the amount of Neuroi normally seen around a Hive to the amount of Neuroi seen around an Alpha Hive… But they may send something big."
"Damn shame you can't actually reveal to me what will happen…"
"I could tell you… but you remember what I said the other day, right?"
"Damn it to hell… Meh, whatever, we'll rip them a new one anyway. I'm of course a bit antsy about Yoshika, but since you said everything will be okay…"
"Yeah…" Alissa mumbled almost inaudibly.
"I probably should order the girls to stay in the base today, right?"
"It would be advised."
"Okay…"
After they finished jogging, they went for a bath.
"Kye, want a backrub?"
"You sure are taking your chances, buster…"
"Hey, I wanted to bury the hatchet, but you said to leave the grip on surface…"
"Okay, okay…" Alissa said and turned around.
Toshiro proceeded with the backrub.
"Aaaaahhhnnnggg…" Alissa moaned suddenly.
"Kye, when was the last time you got laid?"
"Not tellin'."
"Then stop moaning as if I was the last man touching you in a year, sheesh… People might get the wrong idea…"
As if led by instinct, he looked to his left and saw the white haired beauty of the base.
"You're just giving Alissa a backrub…" Heidemarie said while looking at her own feet.
"He's just giving me a backrub," Alissa said quietly.
"Only a backrub…" Toshiro said. "Come on in, don't stand there. Maybe you can get your own back rubbed…"
"Oh… I… Um… Maybe…"
"I'm not forcing you… But Alissa seems to like it, right, Alissa?"
"Nothing like some male hands roughing you up…"
"That sounded at least weird…"
"Yep."
"I…" He stopped short and just sighed.
Alissa snickered to herself.
After a few minutes Toshiro stopped.
"Well, that was good…" Alissa said.
"So, Heidi?" Toshiro asked.
"I… I don't know… Maybe not today…"
"Oh did I hear that a lot from Yoshika…"
"You did?"
"Yeah. But when it came down to business… He… Heh… Hehe…" Toshiro laughed like a total creep.
"B-B-Business? Y-You mean… That?" Heidi asked all red.
"Yeah."
Toshiro had the feeling the water suddenly got hotter. And looking at Heidi he could guess why.
"Toshiroooo…" Alissa moaned. "Stop already…"
"Oh okay… But I just wanted to enlighten the poor girl…"
"I'll enlighten you so hard you'll obtain nirvana with Buddha himself!" Alissa yelled.
"Hahahaha! Alissa in shape is the best Alissa! Well, I'll leave you here, Heidi. Come on, Alissa, unless you want to have a chat with her."
"Nah, don't wanna. See you at breakfast, Major."
"O-Okay…" Heidi said as the other two left the bath.
Toshiro cracked his fingers and said, "Want me to dry you off, Kye?"
Alissa furled her brows, but a smile cracked on her stern face.
"Suuuure… But you only get to touch my hands."
"Oh poo…" Toshiro puffed his cheeks. "No dice, deal's off."
Toshiro's magic flashed and he dried himself.
"Hey, come on, don't be so hissy…"
"Urgh… Hand," Toshiro said as he extended his own hand.
Alissa placed her hand on his and said, "Flash dry please."
Toshiro dried her off in a blink of an eye.
"Thank. You. Heehee…" She giggled.
"I really have the urge to pull out that hatchet…"
The two of them went to the dining hall. Erica was napping on the table and Minna wasn't present.
"Morning, cous," Trude said.
"Mornin'," Toshiro answered. "Where's Minna?"
"I think she's on the phone right now."
"Okay," Toshiro said and sat beside Erica. "And why are you so sleepy, sis?"
"Trude was farting all night…"
"No I didn't!" Trude said with cheeks ablush.
"Oh yes you did! You were farting like you had some gastric disease!"
"That… That was because of yesterday's Sauerkraut!" Trude defended herself
"Which you made!" Erica rebuked instantaneously.
"Ugh… Sorry…"
"Trudy apologizing to me… The world is ending…" Erica sighed and napped on.
After a few minutes Minna came in.
"Hello everyone." She said with a slightly gloomy look.
"What is it, Minna?" Toshiro asked. "You look a bit under the weather, and there's nobody farting in your room."
"What? Ah, never mind… Where's Heidi?"
"I'm here…" Heidemarie said from behind her.
"Ah, good. Give us a report on your patrol yesterday."
"Jawohl," she said and moved beside the table. "I saw movement in the distance but… I was too afraid to check… But I can be sure that were the Neuroi…"
"Hmmm… Where was that?"
"Somewhere around Marche-en-Famenne, north-west of Bastogne."
"Okay… That would check in with the reports I received…"
Toshiro shot a quick glance at Alissa, to which she responded with a nod.
"Guess we're staying home today, ladies."
"Baaaaaaaaw… Trudy wanted to get fruit from the city…"
"You still have your sweets, dingus," Trude rebuked. "Anyway, what does it mean, Minna?"
"The Neuroi started to move…"
"Well finally! I started growing roots here!" Trude shouted.
"But Truuuuudy! I want breakfast!"
"Oh, right. First things first! A good breakfast is the cornerstone of the daily fight of a True Soldier of Karlsland!"
Toshiro could only laugh dryly in his mind.
Everyone munched away, and Toshiro made an announcement. "Since we're on a forced homestay, let's prepare our equipment. Everyone will inspect their own gear."
"Booooo…" Erica moaned.
"I'll have a talk with you in private, Erica. The rest of you, go."
A choral "Jawohl" was heard and everyone beside Erica left the dining hall.
"So what is it, bro? What matters of great importance do you want to discuss with me?"
"I have a feeling you know…"
"I know only what I know, Toshiro. Now cough up what you wanted to say, because I lost the loader for my MP40, and reloading the mags by hand is a bitch of a job…"
"I saw your file in the OKW…"
"And?"
"The whole file, not that takeout leaflet from Britannia and Romagna?"
"Aaaaand…?" Erica asked with intense curiosity.
"You only have an IQ five points lesser than mine."
"Five? I thought it was twenty points higher! Whoops…"
"So you admit it… And what I say is true. I got re-evaluated and scored 175."
"Damn… So, what do you want from me now, Toshiro? To behave like Ursula? To behave… urrrhh… normally?"
"I won't force you to do anything, Erica. But you're going to waste, you know that?"
"Yeaaaah… But I always was the unsettled spirit. I always sought adventure, and got the whooping of my life time for my blunders… Ursula was the book worm…"
"So why do you behave like you behave?" Toshiro asked somewhat pro forma.
"Because I'm lazy. I'm outright to the bone lazy on a cellular level. In combat, okay, I move my ass as if my life depended on it, which it does. But why bother outside of combat? I mean… I'm just a normal girl… I want to be a normal girl… I lost the best years of my life in training and combat… My normal schoolmates are probably now having a normal Sunday, a break from high school or even college in Neue Karlsland, and what am I doing? Sitting in some backwater base, boring my ass off and waiting to kill some monsters… This is wrong… This is so wrong…" Erica said with cheeks glittering from tears. "That's why I'm behaving like I'm behaving. My behavior is a safety vent so I don't get insane… Now do you understand, Toshiro?"
Toshiro placed his hand on her head and started stroking her hair.
"Yes, I do… I understand you, Erica… Now come on, I'll help you with those mags."
"Heh… Okay, Toshiro… But I hope you'll keep your knowledge about me from Trudy, huh? She would explode if she knew…"
"Of course I'll keep it from her! But say, Ursula told me she visited you in July, how was it?"
"Ugh, I behaved like a spoiled shit back then… Ursie came to us with a fuckton of new stuff, but most of it was useless. But amongst that were an Mk214 autocannon and a slightly improved Me 262. I didn't want to see that Striker and especially I didn't want Trudy to fly it…"
"And, how did it go?"
"Trude tested it nonetheless. It was really washed down compared to Romagna, believe me. It was basically raw material for a Striker, albeit safe-ish to use. But I was against it like a child… And Ursula even made a tandem Striker, which I broke because I was such a selfish shit… I even yelled at her that she's bringing junk instead of valuable equipment…"
"Ouch…"
"Yeah… The next day, there was a battle with a sneaky Neuroi. Minna and Trude were being overwhelmed, and Heidi was at HQ at the time, but I was just angling crayfish at a stream… But when I heard Minna scream, my blood boiled and I mounted that hellish device and bringing the cannon with me. But that damn thing almost killed me, because it was too complicated even for me…"
"Too complicated?"
"Micromanagment, Toshiro. But wait a second, I'll tell you. I was chased by Neuroi, and then Ursie appeared and saved me, despite our argument the day before… She told me how to properly use the Jet Striker, since it was much more complicated to master than a reciprocating one. We managed to kick the ass of that Neuroi later, with her steering me, and me myself shooting."
"Nice show of sisterly love back then," Toshiro smiled.
"Yeah," Erica also smiled.
"Want to check out my Striker when we have some free time?"
"Is it easy to fly?" Erica asked.
"Yeah, I felt no difference coming from my turboprop."
"Cool," Erica grinned. "I'll be sure to check it out!"
They went to the hangar. The girls were bustling around, checking their equipment. Erica led him near a stool, where Trude was turning the handle on a Gurtfuller 34 belt loader. Erica picked up a few empty mags and a pack of ammo, and gave it to Toshiro.
"What, I'm supposed to do this?"
"Yup."
"Hartmann…" Trude grumbled.
"I'll only show her how to do it without the loader…"'
"I hope… God damn it, how can you lose such a vital part of equipment…"
"Better losing that than the Gurtfuller…" Erica mumbled.
"I wonder how it would be possible to lose this… It's fastened to the table with a vice!"
"Okay you two, shut up… Erica, your loader was basically a so called metal finger on a spring. The spring of the mag is a bit hard, but here's a little tip…"
Toshiro put the bullet into the mag under a slight angle and quickly pressed it down.
"See? Went down like nothing?"
"Woah! How did you do that!?"
"If you press the bullet down under a slight angle, you put more concentrated force on the spring, thus making it easier. Here, now you try."
Erica took the mag from him and copied him.
"Holy shit, it works!"
"An alternative would be taking a thin WOODEN block and striking the bullets down with a hammer."
"Toshiro, isn't that a bit dangerous?" Trude asked.
"I emphasized wooden, Trudy. Wood is soft and doesn't produce sparks when hit."
"Oh… Makes sense… Hartmann, load those mags!"
"Yeaaaah…"
Toshiro found Alissa, who was dabbling with her MG FF.
"How good that we have enough pre-loaded drums, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah… Imagine loading such a drum manually…"
"Your fingers would fall off…"
"Good thing that the drums are actually only a housing for belts. Manually loading belts ain't that hard…"
"But tedious. More tedious than paperwork… That's why I prefer swords and martial arts."
"You do have a point… Well, I'll leave you here and see what Minna is doing."
Toshiro went to Minna, who surprisingly, was maintaining her MG42.
"Now this is something new," Toshiro said.
"You never saw me cleaning my own weapon, right?"
"Nope. I thought Trudy always does it."
"And you're right. But hey, since you gave an order…"
"Heheh… Well, at least you're doing something else than paperwork."
"Heehee… Yes, this is refreshing…"
"Where's Heidi?" Toshiro asked while looking around.
"Oh, I sent her to the office to stake out the phone."
"I suppose you did well. Then I'll check her gear."
"Please do that."
Toshiro approached her Launch Unit. He pulled out the MG/151/20/3 and quickly glanced at the vital parts.
Looks good…
"Um, Minna, there's a call from a certain Captain Yeager…" Toshiro heard Heidemarie's voice.
"Shirley? I'll take it!" Toshiro shouted.
"Haha, okay, you go, Toshiro. But you know what… I'll also go with you."
"Then let's go there in the strength of three!"
The group went into the office, and Toshiro picked up the receiver. "Yo."
"Ah! Toshiro! Whatcha doing in Sint-Truiden?"
"Inspecting, heheh…"
"Haha! Hey, I've heard the news! You're da man now!"
"Heh, I admit I've risen a bit in the society… So, what's making you call?"
"Neuroi. There was a Neuroi over Venice…"
"What?! But Yoshika destroyed the Hive there personally!"
"That's what's fishy about it… There's not a single Hive in 200 kilometers, Romagna didn't report anything."
"But did you kill it?"
"Sure! The Red Pants also helped, heheh… Also, it looked… Weird… Like some new species…"
"Okay then, I'll pass the intel on to Minna. You look out for danger."
"You do that and I will do my thing. Shirley over and out, General!"
"Oh shut up…"
"Heh…"
Toshiro placed the receiver on the hook.
"Shirley reported a Neuroi over Venice…" Toshiro said with a cold voice.
"Oh my… Did they dispose of it?"
"Yes, with the help of the 504th."
"Damn… This puts us in an uncomfortable situation… Come you two, to the map… I have to think this through…"
They approached the table with the map.
"Yuki, help me memorize the map."
"Okay, will do."
Minna took a red pencil and put a cross where Heidemarie spotted a Neuroi on her night patrol and then she put a cross over Venice.
"Those are the Neuroi spotting's we know about. Now, the closest Hives are above Berlin, Ingolstadt and Prague."
She marked the three locations.
"Now, the distance on which Neuroi operate around their Hive is about three hundred kilometers."
Minna took a caliper and drew circles around the marked Hives.
"Toshiro… Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Yup. For the Neuroi to reach this point in Belgica, they would have to have a hive somewhere around Frankfurt am Main. And for the Neuroi to appear over Venice they would have to have a Hive… Somewhere over Zagreb or Vaduz."
"The Neuroi sometimes fly away farther but… those are only scouts… Heidi?"
"Yes?"
"The Neuroi you encountered on the 2nd of August?"
"What about it?"
"Details, Heidi."
"Ah. Well, it was a mid-sized one, heading from north-west from the south."
"But it wasn't just a normal scout, right?"
"No, its firepower and mobility were that of a normal Neuroi. Plus, I've never seen such a shape of Neuroi before."
"I see…"
"Shirley said she also saw a Neuroi looking weird." Toshiro said. "Maybe they were from the same Hive?"
"Quite possible, although it's a whopping eight hundred kilo's from here…" Minna said concerned. "However… There are no Hives between us. Furthermore, the border guards didn't report both the Neuroi you fought, Heidi, and the one Shirley battled. Not only are they powerful, but they slipped past the border guard…"
"Minna, what equipment do the border guards use to spot Neuroi?"
"The naked eye, binoculars, spotlights and radars. But only the last possibility is of use if there's bad weather or the enemy is above the clouds."
"I see… This is bad… Very bad even…"
"What are you pondering about, Toshiro?" Minna asked.
"Our comms are out since yesterday, and only the landlines are working. You think they're are actively jamming us, Minna?"
"What? How is that possible?"
"Remember how when you couldn't reach Yoshika in Britannia after she went to investigate the humanoid Neuroi?"
"Yes… I couldn't get her in any way."
"The Neuroi was jamming her signal. Since she was actually close to it, it didn't need to put much effort to it. But how the fuck are they jamming us on such a big space of land?"
"I've read a study about this actually… It's true what you've said but I have the same question as you…"
"We have to see if there isn't a Neuroi Hive somewhere close. The fuckers could have adapted and started using wide area radar jamming…"
"Then it's settled, we're having a briefing for a recon mission. Any preferences, Toshiro?"
"Trudy and Erica can try. We'll send them… South of Luxembourg… Let's go then."
The three went down to the hangar, where the other three were waiting for them on the spot with the map.
"So, what's going on?" Trude asked.
"You and Erica will be going on a recon mission south of Luxemburg, in Gallia."
"Recon mission? Oh please… Don't you have anything better to assign? Like a combat mission? Why should we squander precious time and energy to…?"
"Hey, Trudy… I believe that area is where Yoshika is supposed to be…" Erica said while pointing at the map.
"Yoshika?! What are you waiting for, Hartmann?! Don't look at me like that, we have to go! Now!"
Trude rushed off and picked up two tapes for her MG42, two Panzerfäuste, a spare barrel and of course her two trusty MG42's.
Everyone watched at this spectacle in wonder.
"Hartmann!"
"Coming, coming!"
"Gertrude gets so fired up when it comes to her family… Actually future family…" Heidemarie noted.
"Well, she treated Yoshika as her younger sister, but now she already treats her like her cousin, heehee…" Minna giggled.
"Hey, hey! Don't you confuse Heidemarie too much, damn you!" Trude yelled.
"Now, now, Trudy… You don't have to hide your feelings…" Erica said with a devilish smile.
"Oh shut up!" Trude shouted.
"Hey, you two!" Toshiro yelled.
"What?" Trude asked.
"If we don't get any of you after three calls, we're going after you, okay?"
"Well, okay…"
"Trudy, coming?"
"Shush!" Trude shouted and rushed out of the hangar, with Erica following suit.
"You picked out the region on purpose, right?" Alissa asked.
"I'm still worried."
"Say, you two…" Minna said. "You must have known each other prior to the day before yesterday…"
Alissa was already opening her mouth, but Toshiro was faster.
"State secret, Streng Geheim!"
"Really? You're pulling my leg, Toshiro…" Minna said with a discontent look. "Just don't tell me she's your… dunno… step-sister or something."
"Hell no!" they both responded at the same time.
"Then tell me…"
"It's true we know each other," Alissa said. "But I really would like to keep the details for myself. For now at least."
"Roger," Heidemarie responded and her antenna popped up above her head.
The three of them went to the radio room.
"Toshiro, you should listen to comms, since you're a specialist, heehee…" Minna said.
"Whatever…" he said and sat down on a chair and put on the headphones.
An hour had passed, and Toshiro only heard static.
"Toshiro, how is it?" Minna asked.
"Like I'm listening to a radio broadcast from a wake. Nothing."
"Try to reach Trude, okay?"
"Okay… Trude, this is Sint-Truiden, do you copy?"
Static filled his ears.
"Trude, this is Sint-Truiden, do you copy."
Nothing. Toshiro cranked the output to eleven and tried the last time.
"Trude, this is Sint-Truiden, do you, for fucks sake, copy?"
"Nothing?" Minna asked.
"Dead silence. Fuck this shit, Alissa, let's go."
"On it!"
"Be careful, you two… We don't know what we're up against…"
"You know me, Minna…"
"That's why I'm scared!"
"Hahahaha!" Alissa cracked up.
They rushed down to the hangar.
"Remember, Kye. Keep your powers in check. We don't want that simulation we had become reality, right?"
"Get your shit in a knot, Toshiro. If I was subject to the rules of this world, it would collapse already."
Toshiro sighed, and before Alissa could start her engine, Toshiro jump started his Striker and rushed forward, with an MG on his back and a cannon in his hands.
"Cheater…" Alissa mumbled after she caught up to him.
"My friends are possibly in need, so unless you're willing to fork up the info, play along."
"Yeah, yeah…"
It took them only ten minutes to find them while flying at a sub-sonic speed.
"There they are!" Alissa shouted.
Toshiro looked at where Alissa pointed out. Erica had risen upwards in an uppercut Sturm against a Neuroi, shattering it into pieces, but she started falling afterwards.
"Oh damn! Erica!"
Toshiro powered forward, leaving a sonic boom behind him. Erica literally fell into his arms.
"Ooooh… Broo… I'm hungry…"
"You could have fallen to your death, and you only think about stuffing your gut… They must have omitted a comma in your IQ score…"
"Mmmmm… Sorry bro, but I'm really hungry…"
"Erica, are you okay?" Trude asked concerned as she flew beside them.
"Oh look… It only take an unfulfilled tragedy to get you to call me by my first name… You still have that chocolate, Trudy?"
"Urgh… Here…" Trude said as she pulled out half a bar of Lindt chocolate out of her pocket and gave it to Erica.
"Thanks, Trudy…" Erica said before she munched the chocolate away.
"Well, at least nothing bad happened…" Alissa said.
"So, what happened?" Toshiro asked Trude.
"Let's wait with that until we return to base, okay? I don't want to repeat myself."
"How pragmatic…"
They returned to base at a moderate speed. As they flew into the hangar, Minna and Heidemarie were waiting for them.
"Trude, what happened?" Minna asked while looking at the slightly pale Erica.
"Hartmann got a bit weak after attacking a Neuroi with full force."
"But before that?"
"Before that, we were attacked by some kind of tower Neuroi emerging from the ground…"
"The ground?" Toshiro asked.
"Yes. It just popped out of nowhere. It managed to escape us before we could destroy the core. But listen to this… It crossed the Rhein UNDER it."
"Under the river?!" Minna asked in shock.
"Yes, like some kind of damn mole! After that, another Neuroi attacked us! It just shot out of the ground and rushed at us! Fortunately, E… Hartmann destroyed it with a well-placed Sturm."
"Good job, Erica," Minna said.
"Thanks," the blonde Karlslander smiled.
"But one thing was odd… That tower was spreading something like shards but… different… it looked as if somebody cut aluminum foil and spread it in the air…"
"Düppel." Toshiro said.
"Düppel?" Trude asked.
"Or chaff. Or Window. Call it as you want, the basis is that you used thin pieces of aluminum to distort radar waves. I had a demonstration during my training while I was still in the IFN. But that it works on radio waves? What the fuck… And my theory about the Neuroi using the clouds as cover also went down the drain… The fuckers are simply digging underground! What. The. Fuck! We have to at least try and reach some base nearby…"
"Bastogne is the closest one," Minna said. "Everyone, to the office!"
They ran up to the office. Toshiro quickly grabbed the receiver, but after putting it to his ear he felt sweat going down his back. He slammed the hook a few times and dialed zero, but nothing happened.
"Toshiro?" Minna asked carefully.
Toshiro hooked the receiver. He turned around and looked at everyone with a bleak expression.
"Mother of god… We are cut off…"
Minna covered her mouth, but everyone heard the muffled "Fuck!" coming out.
"What do we do now?" Trude asked.
"We either break out or sit this out," Toshiro said. "Either option is a gamble."
"If only something happened… Something decisive…" Minna mumbled.
Suddenly the door behind Minna burst open. Out of nowhere, Lynne and Perrine appeared.
"Everyone, help!" Lynne shouted.
"What is it?!" Trude asked.
"It's… Oh crud..." Perrine said with fear. "H-Hi T-Toshiro…"
"Hi, Perrine. And hi Lynne. Don't mind me, just state your business."
"Umm… Uhhhh… Well… Yoshika promised us that she would contact us every hour and… we waited one… two… three hours…"
Toshiro had the feeling that his legs were now disconnected from his body, but he managed to grab hold of the desk.
"Toshiro? Are you okay?" Heidi asked.
"More or less…" Toshiro said after taking a deep breath. "Everyone… SCRAMBLE FOR FUCKS SAKE WHAT ARE YOU STANDING HERE FOR YET?!" he roared and shot out of the room.
Yoshika… Yoshika… Please be okay… Please be okay… Pleasepleasepleaseplease…
Toshiro grabbed his MG in a hurry and jumped into his Striker. When he was about to press the jumpstart button, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't rush it, Toshiro! You don't know where Yoshika is or what enemies could await you! She might as well just have a broken radio!"
It was Alissa.
"You know better it seems… Of course, you know, you are fucking omniscient for all I care… But what am I supposed to do?!"
"Wait for everyone. If you go out there just like that, it will be a wild goose chase. You'd have the whole, damn, north-east of Gallia to search by your own. You will collapse from exhaustion if you fly like a maniac."
Toshiro took two deep breaths and said, "Okay… I'll give you a wildcard… But Kye… If you're lying… I swear, there will be no place for you in this world."
"So be it."
The rest of the girls ran into the hangar and mounted their Strikers.
"Where are we headed to…?" Toshiro asked.
"Yoshika was supposed to be going through the Lorraine province today…"
"Then we are going there. Everyone, go!"
Toshiro leaned forward and charged out of the hangar with blinding speed, but he quickly slowed down so the rest could catch up.
"My word, what hellish machine is that?" Perrine asked.
"This? The XF-1… Basically something way better than what Alissa over there has."
"Oh? Who's that by the way?"
"Alissa Maya, she just… dropped by…" Toshiro said with a voice devoid of emotion and flew up to Heidemarie. "Now, Heidi, focus. I need you to scan the radio waves for any possible distress call, okay?"
"I… I'll try!"
Her Magic Antenna appeared and just after a few minute she shouted, "I'm receiving something."
Everyone looked tensely at her.
"Message recorded, broadcasting now!"
Suddenly Toshiro heard a very distorted message in his transponder.
"Miyafu… wound… elp… St. Huber…"
"YOSHIKA!" Toshiro roared and boomed forward on the afterburner.
"Yuki, find that St. Huber or whatever it's called, now!"
"Okay, analyzing that map… Lorraine region… Got it! St. Hubert! You're heading in the right direction, hurry!"
After only two minutes Toshiro saw a swarm of small Neuroi circling above something like a pack of vultures. There was something akin to an oversized submarine sticking from the ground, but Toshiro didn't pay much attention, because what he saw made his heart skip a few beats.
No… No… This can't be…
Toshiro landed hard on the ground and jumped out of his Striker. He ran up to the thing he saw.
It was Yoshika. Bloody torn shirt, barely breathing.
Toshiro kneeled beside her and put his left hand under her head.
"To… shiro… You've come… to me…" she said with a week voice.
"Yoshika… What happened…?"
"The Neuroi… attacked us… I… defended Shizuka…"
"But… But you have no magic…"
"But I can still… fire a gun… and drive a… car…"
Toshiro felt as his whole being was slowly falling apart right now.
"Toshiro… So this is… how you feel… when you die?"
"Yoshika… What are you talking about? You can't die! You can't!" Toshiro cried while tears welled up in his eyes like pearls.
"I'm cold… Hug me… Toshiro…"
Toshiro gently embraced her, as if she was made out of glass.
"Kiss…me…"
Barely seeing her through tears, Toshiro gave her a kiss.
Yoshika wilted away in his arms a few seconds later. Toshiro started sobbing, while still kissing her.
"Why is this always happening to me… Why can't I find happiness for long… Why… WHYYYYY!" Toshiro yelled into the sky. "Why did this had to happen?! Why have the gods forsaken me?! Everything was supposed to be okay!"
Toshiro laid Yoshika's body back on the ground. For a few seconds his vision turned red, and he saw a drop of blood falling into Yoshika's mouth.
"Blood… How…"
Toshiro wiped his cheeks and saw that his palm was smeared in blood.
"Haemolacria… Fitting… I'm crying blood… Kye… Where are you, you lying bitch…? I hope you're back in your world… BECAUSE I WILL RIP YOU APART IF YOU SHOW YOUR FACE AGAIN!"
Toshiro looked at the buried Neuroi submarine.
"You… You have crossed the line for the final time…"
Toshiro stood up, and a sudden gust of wind formed around him. His hair furled around as if moved by a tornado, and he gave off a beastly shout in the air.
"I will kill all the Neuroi… Even if it costs me my life, I will kill you all! Because now my life is meaningless!"
Toshiro's hair started flickering between black and white and his eyes turned golden. He thought he heard voices shouting Yoshika's name in his transponder.
Black and white stars started coursing around his body, while a film of monochromatic energy started covering it. The ground under him started rumbling and the gusts of wind started taking unreal speeds. The world slowly started losing color around him, and the sky looked as if it started cracking. "I can feel your power inside me, Allgod… Lend it to me, even if it kills me… This will be my Alamo!"
Suddenly, he felt something grabbing his ankle. He looked down.
"Y-Y-Yoshika?"
Yoshika was on the ground, face down, grabbing his right knee.
"Toshiro…"
She grabbed his other ankle.
"Toshiro… Stop…"
He brought her left leg under herself and started lifting her body.
"You are not alone…"
She grabbed his thigh to support herself.
"Our friends are with us…"
Her other leg moved.
"If I die… Someone else might fill the hole in your heart…"
She grabbed his shirt and started pulling herself up.
"But if you also die… Everyone is doomed…"
Yoshika was now standing before Toshiro, with her face still pointing down.
"Kuji told me what you're trying to do… It could kill you… And I want to protect what's dear to me… So…" She suddenly looked him straight in the eyes and shouted, "I FORBID YOU!"
A bright flash of light blinded Toshiro. Then, he saw a stream of images. Most of them pictured Ichiro Miyafuji, a younger looking Sayaka, and a steadily growing Michiko.
Then Ichiro stopped appearing for a while, Sayaka started looking much like she does now.
And then, Toshiro started appearing. He looked like he was some sort of saint, clad in light. The last image he saw was him, blurry, with his Generalmajor insignia.
"Toshiro…"
Toshiro's vision returned. He was now standing before Yoshika in a monochromatic world devoid of time. A swarm of Neuroi flakes was hovering still above their heads.
Yoshika had white hair and her animal features were visible.
"Yoshika… How…"
Yoshika jumped towards him and hugged him tightly.
"I don't know… I just wanted to protect you… Then it happened…"
"But your hair, Yoshika… It's white…"
"Is it…? What a shame… But it's okay… Because your hair also changed…"
Toshiro took a look at himself in the mirror on the side of the FFG. His white hair turned into jet black, and his red eyes turned into golden ones, glowing slightly. Then suddenly, a burst of memories filled not only his mind, but also Yoshika's. He suddenly remembered everything he learned during his time in Kye's world that had been locked away in his memories, except for one thing that he also remembered he chose to have locked away tighter. He remembered the Elder Gods and what the conflict in Kye's world was really about. He remembered Mavet's true identity and the conflict Mavet had with the Allgod. As he remembered, Yoshika discovered.
"Toshiro… I know everything now… All the secrets you have to keep… Your trip to another universe… With all the details, ugh… Your fooling around with Adolfine… And that Kuji is controlling my growth… I'm not even mad to be honest; I'll tell him to pull it into hyperdrive."
"Everything?"
"Everything… I have to sort it all out but… Maybe if I use some hierarchical filter method… Gaussian distribution…"
"Um… Yoshika? What did you say right now?"
"Dunno?"
"Square root of e?"
"1.64872127…" Yoshika covered her mouth suddenly. "Oh my… Toshiro?"
"You know… I also saw your whole life and… I suddenly have the urge to sew and make natto…"
"Heehee… I just wonder what happened?"
"Your souls converged," a familiar voice spoke from the side.
Toshiro's rage exploded and he flung a hook punch to the source of voice. His fist hit Alissa straight in the face, but she was unfazed, not moving even a centimeter from her position.
"Better now?" she asked.
Toshiro looked closer and mumbled, "For fucks sake…"
"Indeed."
"Just tell me one thing…" Toshiro said through clenched teeth. "Does all of this… Did Yoshika had to die?!"
"Yes, Toshiro. This is the turn of events most desired. And she didn't die, she went into stasis."
"Stasis? You mean like…"
"Yes, like you back in Britannia."
"But how is that even possible?! She was devoid of magic!"
"Kuji had a reserve, a rainy day fund so to speak. Once she reached the critical stage, the stasis kicked in."
"But how did her magic come back to being?"
"Your blood, Toshiro."
"Are you implying my fiancé is a vampire?"
"No, Toshiro. But your blood had the Celestial Order, and concentrated ether in itself. Kuji used it to begin the process of siphoning magic from the environment. And since you went fucking berserk and was leaking some serious magic when you awakened your Celestial Order just now, the connection between Kuji and Yoshika was restored."
"I see… But why the color changes now?"
"When your souls converged, you exchanged your memories, including the memories you wished for me to lock away just before you returned here. Not only that, but also parts of your abilities. Furthermore, Yoshika's brain was stimulated, so she's now a lot smarter, only the potential is a bit messy now."
"Is that true, Miss Kye?" Yoshika asked.
"Yes, Yoshika. If you start reading some nice and heavy scientific literature, you have a chance of keeping up to Toshiro in terms of book smarts."
"Heehee, that's fun…"
"But you still didn't explain the color changes in our hair."
"Ah, yes. Yoshika took away your locked away sorrow and decided to deal with it on her own, that's why her hair turned white and yours is black again. But don't worry, Yoshika has a very strong will, and she will have her brown hair back again in no time."
"And my eyes."
"Heeeeey, Kye!" Toshiro heard Amaterasu's voice as she suddenly appeared. "Don't you fucking lock me out in my own damn universe!"
"Hehe, I wanted to give some explanations on my own."
"Wah, the Goddess!" Yoshika shouted.
"Oh, hi, Yoshika. Wait a second, okay?"
"Kay."
"Listen, Kye, you'll do that one more time, and I'll ban you out of this universe, understood?"
Kye shot her a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe I can't do that, Miss Elder Goddess, but you have no right to keep me out of Toshiro's business! He's the Allgod's Champion, sure, but he's also my Chosen One!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know what you want to do, Ami, so go ahead."
"I'll explain why your eyes changed color, Toshiro. You see, not to mince words, you were so fucking pissed off, your heart so full of sorrow and anguish, that the Celestial Order power bestowed upon you resonated within you strongly, thus granting you the golden eyes."
"Um… Any bonuses?"
"Besides cool golden eyes? You'll have to figure it out by yourself…"
"Oh for fucks sake… There you go with your godly limited disclosure bullshit… Hurrrr…"
Suddenly, another blonde person appeared in the secluded space. Wearing her pink kimono, she stood there dazzling Toshiro with her beauty.
"Oh hi, Livy," Toshiro said.
"Welcome back, Master," she bowed her head slightly and looked at Yoshika. "And welcome, Mistress, I will be lingering around the Master since now."
"Mistress? Master? Isn't that a bit too formal?" Yoshika asked.
"Dig in your memories, Yoshika, you'll find the cause," Toshiro said with a smile.
After a few seconds of pondering, Yoshika replied, "Ah, indeed. Well, hello, Livy. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for taking care after Toshiro."
"It's my duty, Mistress," she replied humbly. "I believe I have to issue an addendum to what Ami said before."
"Don't you call me Ami before everyone!" the Fuso goddess yelled. "It's bad enough that Toshiro got cheeky enough to do it…"
"Then for now it's Amaterasu, okay?"
"Fine with me."
"Resuming, Master, what happened was actually quite a mysterious phenomenon that even I can't decipher. Your golden eyes are actually… my fault."
"Wait, what?"
Livy spawned mirror in her right hand and she pulled it up before Toshiro's face. He looked at his reflection and said, "Uh… Aside of that twenty point star polygon you have on yours… Yeah, you're right… Livy, are you trying to pull a prank?"
"No, Master, never," she said with a straight face. "It's that the Celestial Order that got into the Mistresses body had resonated with both you and me at the same time, creating some kind of bizarre feedback loop."
"Then why am I the only one with golden eyes then?" he asked.
"I think it's because of your godly power, Master," Livy nodded her head slowly. "But I'm not sure myself…"
"Wait, you're not sure?" Amaterasu asked. "This has to be some deep shit you've stumbled upon."
"I hope it's not something dangerous…" Yoshika looked concerned at Toshiro.
"As far as I can tell, nothing's wrong with our hero here," Kye smirked
"I don't feel exceptional myself," Toshiro said.
"By the way, Master, I have a personal question," Livy said.
"Yes?"
"Do you like your eyes?"
"Heh… Yeah, they are a bit nice, but can I stop the glow? I don't want to be a damn lantern in the darkness…"
"Sure, Master. Just think about it, it works as a light switch."
"Bother…"
"Yoshika…" Amaterasu said. "You know the rules about your new found knowledge, right?"
"Yes."
"Be sure to abide them."
"Okay," Yoshika cheered and looked at Toshiro. "But Toshiro… I have to do something about that hair of yours…"
"If you want…"
"Gimme Yumemaru."
"You want to cut my hair with it?!"
"Sure, why not?"
"Hmmm… Well, okay…"
Toshiro summoned Aganaimaru, but a flash of light almost blinded him while he did so. He looked at the sword. It looked almost the same, but now it was sparkling from the inside with a black and white star nebula.
"What… the… fuck…"
"Simply put," Kye said, "your sword got permanently infused with Celestial Order. The reason being mostly because of the previously aforementioned state of your mind, and partially because of summoning it during the reawakening of your Celestial Order."
"Seriously?"
"Yes… That sword is indestructible now. It's like the unbreakable obstacle from the philosophical puzzle. Well, of course I could poof it away, but mortals cannot break it even if one used a Legendary against it."
Toshiro whistled in awe.
"And how about the cutting parameters?"
"While the previous Aganaimaru was an atom splitter, this sword can split time and change quantum states."
"No shit?!"
"I shit you not, Toshiro. But it only works like that if you truly desire so. A little failsafe."
"So I don't end up ripping the world apart?"
"Yeah… Why don't you try now?"
"Can I?"
"This is a non-Euclidian space, Toshiro, fire away."
"Okaaaay…"
Toshiro turned around and swung his sword. Nothing happened.
"Looks like it's broken…"
"Concentrate…" Kye sighed.
Toshiro imagined that he wanted to rip what was in front of him like an old cloth. He slowly prodded the air before him, and pulled the sword down. The space before him ripped like said cloth and void peered out of it.
"What…"
"See, it worked. Now, swing at it with the blunt side."
"Okaaay…"
Toshiro did what he was told and the rip closed.
"Where do the rips lead to?" Yoshika asked curiously.
"Kaylie sorts out what would fall inside, so don't worry. If for example a Neuroi falls in, she'll dispose of it. If a person falls inside, that person will just get booted out."
"What about Oblivion Lost then? Can Livy, as a sword, do the same?"
"Of course, Master. I never spoke of such an eventuality, but I won't deny it now."
"Meh, not that I needed that direly…"
"Nifty…" Yoshika said. "Okay, Toshiro, gimme the sword, I have to cut those hair of yours."
"I'm hesitant…"
"Oh come on… Yumemaru should be unchanged…"
Toshiro imagined transferring the sword to Yoshika, but instead of it appearing as Yumemaru in Yoshika's hands, another, pitch black sword with a red edge appeared in her hands.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?!" both Yoshika and Toshiro shouted.
"Ah, well… Did I mention that you released your Celestial Power anyway? That you can both use your swords at the same time? And that Yoshika can summon her own sword at will?"
"NO WAY!" Toshiro yelled.
"Then I did just now, heehee…"
"What's the sword named now by the way?" Yoshika asked.
"Your sword is unnamed right now, Yoshika. However, one day, it will be ready to receive one."
"But it looks cooler than mine…" Toshiro mumbled
"When the time comes, it will change." Amaterasu butted in.
"And of course I can't know when, right?"
"Heheh…"
"Are you coming or not?" Yoshika asked with a frown on her face.
"Okay, okay…"
Toshiro approached Yoshika and kneeled before her. Yoshika made a few moves with the sword and said, "Okay, done."
"Already?!"
"It's a bit rough on the edges, but…"
Toshiro looked at himself in the mirror, and saw the same Toshiro, sans the eyes, that left Fuso in June 1944.
"It's nice to have my old look back…" Toshiro said and turned to Kye. "Sorry for punching you…"
"Meh, you needed it. Anyway, I'm now leaving this world. But you've not seen the last of me… Yoshika, come here."
"O-Okay!"
Yoshika ran up to Kye, and the latter kissed her on the forehead.
"It's the last straight, Yoshika. Endure it!"
"I will!"
Kye looked at Toshiro.
"Nope!" Toshiro shouted.
"Come here you dunce…"
"As if I have a choice…" Toshiro mumbled and approached Kye.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "Your victory awaits, Toshiro. And sorry for deceiving you."
"If it had to be done… But couldn't you orchestrate it a bit less painful?"
"This was the best way to do it, sorry."
"Okay… Wait a second, if Yoshika managed to regain her magic, then maybe…"
"When the time comes, Toshiro," Kye said. "Bye now, everyone. And remember, Toshiro – your celestial qualities have been re-unlocked, use them wisely."
"Wait… Crap. How the fuck am I going to explain that Kye disappeared?!"
"You'll come up with something." Amaterasu said. "Okay now… Time to dissolve this little pocket dimension. Was fine talking to you both at the same time."
"Likewise." Yoshika said with a smile.
The color returned to their surrounding and Toshiro felt a small breeze. Suddenly, the earth started rumbling and the Neuroi emerged from the ground, shooting out countless small drones at the same time. The drones formed over Toshiro and Yoshika.
"We only have our swords, and my MG now…" Toshiro said.
"I think we can manage."
A violent explosion shattered the Neuroi mass over them.
"What the hell?!"
"Toshiro, I saw a naval artillery shell in slow motion briefly."
"Don't tell me… The Yamato?! They're really floating it on the Rhine?!"
"Most probably. The caliber matched."
"Madness…"
"Miyafuji, damn you, respond!" Toshiro heard a clear voice in his transponder.
"Miss Sakamoto!" Yoshika cheered. "Toshiro, there!"
Toshiro looked around and saw a Mitsubishi F1M floatplane coming towards them, with a witch holding one of the struts. The plane dropped a supply pod that dug itself into the ground. It opened itself and revealed the trusty Shinden that Yoshika started using around the half way mark of their stay in Romagna.
"Here are your wings, Miyafuji! Hahaha!" Mio laughed through the transporter.
"Mio, is that you in the plane, you crazy bitch?" Toshiro asked.
"In the flesh! You think I'd abandon my protégé just like that?!"
"I didn't think you were here with the Yamato!"'
"Now you know! That Neuroi looks dangerous, give it hell, I'll be watching from the distance!"
"Will do! And who's that with you by the way?"
"That's Miyafuji's bodyguard."
"Ah, okay."
Yoshika ran to the supply pod and jumped into her Striker. She quickly flared up into the air and made some loop-de-loops, laughing like a small kid.
"I can fly again! Toshiro, I can fly again!"
"Aw yeah!"
Toshiro mounted his own Striker and jump started it up into the air.
"Wooooah! A new Striker!"
"It's named after me, heheh…"
"Oh, and you're a General now, how nice!"
"You're sure quick to notice… Hmm… Looks like the girls are here… And they multiplied!"
"Oh, where… Oh! It's everyone! And some new witch… Hmmmmmmmmm… Heidi?"
"You sure make good use of the knowledge you've gained…."
"Tee hee…"
"What do you think, Yoshika…? Should we give the girls some breathing space or rush and destroy that Neuroi?"
"Hummm… Let them pave a path for us…"
"I love your new way of thinking!"
The girls swarmed them.
"Yoooshika!" Lynne shouted and hugged her.
"Heehee, Lynne!"
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Bro, you changed again!" Erica yelled at him. "Now I have to get used to you again…"
"And Yoshika changed too…" Sanya said. "I like this style, heehee…"
"I see everyone is here," Toshiro said
"Well, we were sort of in the vicinity…" Eila mumbled.
"We flew here all the way from Orussia because Eila had a bad tarot reading," Sanya said, making Eila blush.
"But you two…" Toshiro pointed at the busty Liberian and small-sized Romagnan." …were in Venice just some time ago!"
"We made haste after hearing the distress signal…" Shirley said. "I'm the speed ace after all!"
"Wait until you get a hold of this baby!" Toshiro said and patted his Striker.
"Holy Shit Jesus on a unicycle! A new jet Striker! Lemme have a go!"
"Later, later… Now we have something else at hand…"
"What's the strategy, Toshiro?" Minna asked.
"Pave a way for Yoshika and me and expose the core."
"Are you sure?" Minna asked. "Yoshika just regained her magic, and I'll be damned, that's a miracle by itself!"
"I'll be fine, Miss Minna…" Yoshika said with a wry smile.
"If you say so…" Minna cleared her throat and said, "Strike Witches! Commence battle!"
"Roger!" Everyone responded.
A true clusterfuck had started. Everyone was giving their best, felling Neuroi by tens and hundreds at a time to pave a way to the Neuroi. Toshiro shot at random points of the big Neuroi with supercharged shots from his MG, using the Minengeschosspatronen for better effect. After spending half a belt, a shot finally revealed the location of the core, which was the kiosk of the faux-sub.
"Yoshika, grab me, we're going supersonic!"
"Okay!"
Yoshika grabbed hold of Toshiro and he started accelerating using all of his strength and the afterburner.
"Weeeeeee!" Yoshika squealed.
"Now, Yoshika, what are we doing?"
"Maybe we should combine two attacks, huh?"
"Two Cloud Sparks? Ain't that a bit weak?"
"Who said Cloud Spark?"
"Rending Gale?"
"Nope."
"A Reppuzan?!"
"A Iai Reppuzan to be precise."
"But... But..."
"Toshiro… Kye or Amaterasu didn't say it, but I feel that my magic is at least two times stronger than before… And this sword…" Yoshika summoned the unnamed sword. "… I feel it's even more powerful than Yumemaru…"
"Okay then… Prepare yourself, Yoshika."
Toshiro summoned Aganaimaru, and both their swords started glowing intensely blue. They were approaching the Neuroi at over Mach 3.
"IAI!"
They both shouted as they pierced the Neuroi from the side.
"REPPUZAN!" they yelled as they exited from the other side.
They dispelled their swords and watched at the Neuroi. It exploded violently starting from the center, dissolving into the usual crystalline flakes.
"Whew… That was tiring…" Yoshika said.
"Out of breath? Seems like you're a bit rusty…"
"Oh shush… I haven't had my magic for a month…"
"Heheh…"
"Miss Miyaaaafuuuuji!" a voice suddenly shouted and Yoshika was stolen from Toshiro.
"Waaah, Shizuka!" Yoshika shouted. "What's the matter?"
"You're… alive… I'm so glad…" Shizuka said close to tears.
"I sort of managed on my own…" Yoshika mumbled.
"Speaking of which…" Toshiro said from behind her.
Shizuka twitched and turned around slowly.
"H-H-Hello… Who might you be?"
"Generalmajor Toshiro Lucas von Edelweiss."
"G-G-Generalmajor… that would be… oh crap… oh crap…"
"Attention!" ae yelled.
"Yes sir!" she hovered in attention
"Prepare to receive punishment!"
"Yes sir!"
Toshiro prepared for an overhead punch, to which Shizuka closed her eyes. Toshiro however slowed down in the last moment and his flat hand fell on her head. He started patting her head and said, "One Shizuka is not enough to contain my Yoshika or protect her from such a mass of Neuroi… You're just a cadet…" Toshiro sighed. "I wish they'd send somebody more experienced, but whatever…"
"Sir?"
"Toshiro."
"Sir?!"
"Ugh… And don't call Yoshika per family name, or I'll maim you."
"Um… Miss Yoshika?"
"Well, that sounds about right for now."
The rest of the girls swarmed around them.
"Dear Lord!" Shirley shouted. "That speed!"
"And that force!" Trude chimed in.
"I'm sorry to be a stick in the mud… But Bastogne called in. The 506th is overwhelmed there. They need immediate help."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Toshiro cheered.
"Roger!" They answered.
"Ah, but first, some formalities. Gather on Mio's plane everyone."
"Okay!"
They formed a circular formation around Mio's plane.
"Hey, are you using my plane as a tribune?!" Mio yelled.
"Yeah, anything against it?"
"Probably not…"
"Okay, everyone, listen! On this day, and this hour, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing is reformed! You and you!" Toshiro pointed at Shizuka and Heidemarie. "You're also joining, no excuses!"
"B-B-But I have my own unit!" Heidemarie shouted.
"Fuck it, I'll get a replacement for you!"
"But why me?!" Shizuka asked.
"Because I say so! You bothered with Yoshika for the past month, you'll bother for the next few months! And Mio probably wants a new trainee…"
"Yes sir!" Shizuka answered. "I humbly accept!"
"Aaah… Fresh meat…" Mio said with a devilish grin.
Shizuka gulped.
"By the way, where's Alissa?" Minna asked.
Suddenly, everything lost its color and that same familiar blonde appeared floating in the sky in front of them. Toshiro glanced around and saw everyone but himself and Yoshika frozen in place.
"That was fast…" he mumbled.
"This is something I couldn't do in front of Amaterasu."
"Couldn't or wouldn't? And you know she doesn't want to be left out..."
"I know, but she is not an Elder God or a champion of one. To give us the opportunity to talk privately, I've frozen everything in every universe, short of the three of us."
"How the…"
A thin aura of rainbow energy surrounded Kye's body. "Nigh Omnipotence. Michelle once told you that I am the most powerful Elder God, and that is true."
"If you wanted everything frozen, then why is Yoshika not frozen? She's not an Elder God or a champion."
"Well... she's sort of a de facto champion now, because of you."
"Because of me?"
Kye nodded.
"Well... Okay. So why are you doing this?"
"When you wished for your knowledge of the Elder Gods to be locked away until you were ready to know, I did so."
"And you said that you would unlock them when that time came, so that happened just moments, too. I remember. Wait, the key was Yoshika's... almost death?"
"Indirectly yes. You will come to realize why soon."
"Cryptic as always..."
"Maturity, Toshiro. People change when faced with extreme loss, something you've already experienced once with your mother. Whether you realize it or not, what happened just now matured you greatly."
"What about the other thing that is locked deeper?"
"You chose to keep that secret from yourself until your death."
"Well, if I chose that, I guess I can live with it. Is that all you wanted?"
"No, that wasn't the reason I froze all of existence. I did that to pass on a message to you from the Allgod."
"The Allgod left a message… specifically for me?"
"Yes."
"Huh…"
"His message was… "When the time comes, you will no longer need the power of a champion. When that time comes, you will know what to do." Savvy?"
"Uh…" Toshiro mumbled. "What?"
Kye smiled. "The curious thing is, would you know what to do once that time comes around without knowing the message?"
"Would I?"
"Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. This is your world, after all."
He raised his eyebrow and started to ask another question, but he was cut off before he could open his mouth.
"By the way." She pointed to the girls. "They will believe you, whatever you tell them about me."
"Your doing?"
"Perhaps. Just make it believable."
"Cryptic ass…"
She giggled at him. "Oh, and use them carefully."
"Use what carefully?"
She just winked and vanished, unfreezing existence as she left.
"She took off after you when you flew ahead like a madman," Minna said. "Now we can't find her anywhere, but it didn't occur to me until now…"
"Alissa has gone home." Toshiro said honestly. "Maybe one day I'll tell you where that is."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. And it's perfectly okay."
"Well, if you say so…"
"Now we have everything cleared. 501st, direction Bastogne!"
"ROGER!" Everyone yelled from the bottom of their lungs.
The 501st reformed... Yoshika's magic formed anew...
'Pure and made apt for mounting to the stars.'
If you read Legendary Witches 3 (you did, right?), you should look into the epilogue chapter once again, there's a humongous appendix added.
Chapter title - a reference to the anime Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, a rather good piece about a world without God. And yes, it really is Sunday during the chapter.
In case you're wondering, Panzerfäuste is the plural for Panzerfaust and its pronounced differently.
Well then, another story finished! The 501st is there once again, and Yoshika got some nice upgrades. Credits commence!
Doran Maya - yeah, the usual stuff - proofreading, pointers, bitching, et cetera :3
Seiko1979 - for constantly painting my balls blue
An0n Author - random entry is random
majoramiruddin - for the steady stream of reviews
DeNnIsFr4n5 review, fav, follow,
Jetfire77 reviews, fav, follow
Sky EXE reviews, fav, follow
Chad3spawn reviews, fav
zergdramon reviews, follow
ElderH review, follow
Aleksandr Sakamoto fav, follow
Choosy fav, follow
Dalek23 fav, follow
Darkspecter141 fav, follow
Heavy1825 fav, follow
Karsap fav, follow
Krystal Hydralisk fav, follow
Marsdog fav, follow
NTCG fav, follow
ShiniD fav, follow
Spartanb125 fav, follow
ULTRAMARINE59 fav, follow
gman2129 fav, follow
karakuricha fav, follow
kreeft123xx fav, follow
whitepriest27 fav, follow
PurpleTardis reviews
Kilo 6 reviews
Maroon567 review
Deadman'sHand92x45 review
Matt0218a review
Gamerman22 review
will . radtke . 12 review
Henri0812 fav
ninjamokey3591 follow
And all the people that didn't man up to review or anything!
Okay, so... Now, you'll have a week break from me. The next story has to get some editing done, so... see you later in another chapter in the Chosen One series - Our Victory Awaits!
If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!