Chapter 21 – Operation Yggdrasil

Almost an entire week has passed since Ichiro appeared. Yoshika was cheerful as ever, but I still was a bit on the depressed side, despite Livy joining in her efforts to cheer me up… Thus, one day, I visited mom…

"What is it, Toshiro? You look gloom…"

"You didn't witness anything, right?"

"No, I can't just watch your life without Amaterasu's help."

Toshiro sat beside her under the tree.

"Yoshika's dad returned."

"Oh my… Really?"

"Yes… He survived the accident but suffered from amnesia…"

"But that's very good news!"

"Yeah..."

"Why are you so down then?"

"It's the way he survived that bugs me the most… Father shielded him with his own body…"

Akiko's look didn't change a bit, but a single tear dripped from her right eye.

"So he is dead after all…"

"Mom… All this time you hoped that Dad might be alive?"

"Yes, Toshiro… Six years I lived with the hope that one day, Lucas would knock on the door of our apartment, and then our shack… I hoped that one day; we would be a complete family… But at least now I can let go…"

"I thought that having such a tie to the earthly matters would make it impossible for you to live a happy afterlife…"

"Not unless one receives a blessing from a god. Or goddess in this particular case, heehee…"

"It seems that I owe Ami more than I think I did… Again… Crap…"

"Come on, son; rest your head on my lap…" Akiko said all of a sudden.

"O… Okay…"

Toshiro lied down on his back and placed his head on Akiko's lap. She started stroking his head gently.

"You don't have to worry about Lucas, Toshiro… He died a hero's death, and is now probably having a good time in Heaven. Don't you want to be happy for him?"

"Yes…"

"And don't you want to be happy for Yoshika?"

"Yes…"

"Then let it go. You have managed to overcome your sorrow once, you can do it again."

"Heh… Okay, Mom…"

"Now sleep."

"Okay…"

On another day the 24th of October, Minna gave Toshiro the latest newspaper. The big headline stated, "THE UNITED NATIONS FORMED!" Toshiro skimmed the article and said, "I guess we need something like that…"

Yesterday I received a call from the boss. The stagnation has ended.

"Von Edelweiss here."

"And Keitel here. Toshiro, the time has come for you to stop dwindling your thumbs."

"Pardon, boss?"

"An operation is at hand, scheduled for tomorrow, 1200. The details are as following."

And I listened for over ten minutes what it should look like. Afterwards, whether I wanted it or not, I had to call a briefing. I waited a few minutes and went to the briefing room. As it was late, all the girls were available.

"How nice to see all of you in high spirits. I have called you here, because of Operation Yggdrasil."

"Weird name…" Francesca said. "Is it something to eat?"

"Heheh… No, Yggdrasil is the name of the World Tree in the Norse mythology. The analogy is that we will destroy the Hive over Ingolstadt, which is at the bottom of Karlsland, which could be portrayed as the roots of the tree. I know, I know, it sounds shitty, but I didn't come up with that."

"So… We will destroy a Hive? A real Hive?" Mio asked.

"Yup."

"Hah, command really has a lot of faith in us. But how the hell are we going to do that?"

"All of you are to make a path for me and Yoshika, it's that simple."

"Simple, huh?" Trude asked. "I wonder if we won't have to count the Neuroi in hundreds…"

"Well, there's a little something to counter that fact. Tomorrow, all my fellow Karlslanders will get their jet Strikers."

"YES!" Trude shouted loudly. "Fuck yeah finally!"

"Snap…" Shirley mumbled.

"Really, Toshiro? We will get jet Strikers?" Minna asked.

"Uhum. Also, Sanya will get a new prototype rocket launcher."

"Oh?" Sanya asked. "They made something better than the Fliegerhammer?"

"Ahyup. Although I don't know a thing about how it performs."

"But it's nice that I will get an upgrade… Heeh…"

"So, any more details on the operation?" Minna asked.

"No. It's a straightforward assault on the Ingolstadt Hive, no more, no less. We will have absolutely no support from the outside, so we have to make it count."

"Roger!" the girls responded.

"We will go through tactics on the second briefing tomorrow, and for now, dismissed."

And thus, the girls got to know about what will happen today. Roughly. And I hope all of them will manage… But the weather looks nice… The sun is shining and it's probably warm-ish, given the fact it's October 21st… Well, time to get up, since Yoshika started squirming.

"Morning, Toshiro..." she said with a sleepy voice.

"Morning, Sunshine."

"You know… I got this idea…"

"Let's hear it."

"Maybe Kye could reunite you with your father?"

"I won't," Kye said while appearing suddenly.

"Wah!"

"Heh, still on the jumpy side I see, Yoshika?" Kye asked.

"You're appearing when you're least expected, damn it! How can Toshiro sense you before you appear?"

"Because I let myself be sensed. And it's Yuki, not Toshiro himself who acknowledges my presence. Right, Toshiro?"

"Yup, spot on. If Kye wanted, she could scare me shitless. But anyway, why can't you reunite me with my padre? I guess the keyword is "meddling.""

"Spot on, as you said before. I promised Ami that I won't interfere until it's necessary. I don't want to piss off God by letting you meet your father, right?"

"As if he could even serve you as a foothold…"

"Now, now, don't be disrespectful. True, comparing to me, God is in the amateur junior C-league, but still..."

"I suppose your right. Yoshika, thanks for trying anyway."

"Heh… No problem, Toshiro."

"Be it here or in any other universe, with some minor exceptions, Yoshika is always a super-caring girl, don't forget that, T-man."

"Oh can it, damn you!"

"Heehee… Time for me, you two. Stay safe."

"Bye, Kye."

"B… Wait a second…" Toshiro furled his eyebrows.

"Whoops, busted."

"For fucks sake would you stop reading my mind already!"

"Heheh…" Kye laughed dryly. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Toshiro, what's happening?"

"I can't tell you right now, because then the whole universe would know. Or would it, Kye?"

"Explain it, go ahead."

"Remember how Kye told me about the message from the Allgod?"

"Yeeees…"

"She froze the whole existence just to do this. So I thought that she could take me to my father in a similar way…"

"Wow… Would you really do that for Toshiro?" Yoshika asked

"Yes, I will. He still has a fat tab on my ass after what I made him experience in my universe… Okay, Toshiro, stand up."

"Just like that?"

"Yup."

Toshiro stood up on his bed and suddenly he was clothed from top to bottom.

"Not bad… You really don't want to waste time…"

He suddenly found himself in a bright white room, sitting on a chair. Before him was a man in his forties with a bushy moustache under his nose, wearing a black suit, a true man's man.

"Who are you?" he asked with a deep voice. "And where are we?"

"My… My name is Toshiro…"

"Toshiro you say… I had a son named Toshiro… I could only spend a few days with him due to work…"

Suddenly, Toshiro felt a weight in his breast pocket. He pulled out what was bothering him.

"Hey, I recognize this locket!" the man said. "But… You are my son?"

"Yes… Yes… Dad…"

"Mein Gott… How you have grown… And those medals… And the insignia…"

"I guess you don't have info on what happens down under so to speak?"

"No… We are isolated from the outside world in Heaven, but it isn't that bad… Son, you have to tell me everything!"

"I could but… Kye, how much time and how many info can I spare?"

"Take your time and don't mince your words, Toshiro," Kye's voice sounded in the room.

"Who's that?" Lucas asked.

"My friend, she made it possible for us to meet."

"That must be a very powerful friend…"

"Yeah… So…"

Toshiro told Lucas the whole story of his life, not shirking on details, especially about Akiko and Yoshika. Lucas didn't interrupt Toshiro for one second.

"Son… I'm so fucking proud of you… My only regret is that I died and I couldn't witness your growth… I'm so sorry…"

"You saved Yoshika's father from the clutches of death. You died a hero, Dad."

"Yes… A hero… But being a hero in death doesn't make me less dead, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And who the fuck would know, that that motherfucking Friedrich was my step-brother! Fucking unreal!"

"Right?"

"And it's good to know you ain't a eunuch, hah!"

"Rest assured that my loins are always in top condition, hahaha!"

"You're the son I imagined I'd have..." Lucas sighed. "But you have your own life now, and a war to win. I guess we should part our ways."

"Already? But Dad…"

"You told me the story of your life, and you've filled me in on what happened to Ichiro and Akiko. Thank you."

Toshiro looked at Lucas nervously.

"What?"

Toshiro didn't stop looking.

"What?!"

"I want a hug…"

"A hug you say… But a manly one, not say mushy, half-assed, faggoty embrace!"

"Of course!"

The two hugged like fighting bears and as soon as they stopped, Lucas said, "What kind of man are you! Stop crying you pussy!"

"Pot, meet kettle! Eyes sweating, you old fart?"

"How are you talking to your late father, you ungrateful git!"

"Stand down, Major Edelweiss!"

"Ha, you got me there! Good job!" Lucas shouted and slammed Toshiro a few times on the back. "Now, go back to the world of the living, I'll manage here. It's not that bad, just a bit bland…"

"If you say so, Vater," Toshiro said and extended his hand. "See you in a few decades."

Lucas firmly grabbed Toshiro's hand and said, "Bis dann, Mein Sohn. I really wish I wasn't recalled back to Karlsland after Akiko gave birth to you… Maybe this wouldn't even happen…"

Toshiro suddenly found himself back in his bed alongside Yoshika.

"Oh, you're back. Could that be even manlier at the end?"

"You saw all of it?"

"Sure, Kye gave me a live transmission!"

"I would smack her, but I would probably only sweat unnecessarily…"

"Your dad sure is a hundred and one percent man, I have to admit…" Yoshika said with red cheeks.

"Just don't tell me I don't compare to him…"

"I prefer the bit gentle you, heehee… Okay now, breakfast time. Toshiro, could you help me? We need to make a big one."

"But not too big, or we'll have trouble taking off!"

"Heehee… I hope we'll manage today…"

"The two of us in our current state are enough to pulverize the Hive, but we need backup to take care of the bouncers."

"But you made short notice of that Hive over the Amazonia-Neue Karlsland border…"

"That, my dear, was a fluke. The Neuroi are probably prepared a tad better, don't you think?"

"I sometimes forget they aren't mindless beasts after all…"

"Mindless – no, evil – like fuck."

"I kind of wish for an end like in Kye's universe…"

"Impossible… You are good, Yoshika, but not THAT good…"

"Yeah… But I am the second best here, right?"

"Bah!"

Toshiro waited for Yoshika to get dressed and both of them went to the pantry.

"It is well stocked, I have to admit…"

"Toshiro, you didn't visit this room yet?"

"Nope. And a few others too. I just didn't feel like it."

"Well, compared to day one, our supplies have dwindled a bit. But it's still a whole load of food, heehee…"

"And the cooling is working it seems. Well, if it wouldn't, we would just dump the food in the hangar."

"Would that work?"

"Yeah, it should. But I would fear not about the fact that it could spoil…"

"Oh… Heh… Yes, that would be a nuisance, definitely."

"Let's get what we need and start cooking."

With their hands full, they re-entered the kitchen annex and started cooking. After a few minutes, Lynne joined them, and they proceeded with the cooking with full force.

They made a light but satiating breakfast, fitting for a grand battle. The girls ate with a smile and just as Toshiro finished, he heard a transmission through the transponder.

"Toshiro, how are you?"

"Hoho! Ursie, you're coming personally?"

"Affirmative! I wanted to see how you would all react. And of course to visit my stupid sis…"

"How far away are you?"

"Actually… We're landing already…"

"What?! Be right there!"

"Toshiro, Sissy is coming?!" Erica shouted.

"She's actually here already."

"Whaaaat?! What are we doing here then?!"

"Looking at you getting all giddy?" Toshiro asked with a smile. "Everyone, outside march!"

"Roger!"

The whole unit, with the exception of the sleeping Heidi, went outdoors. The jet transport plane was taxying before the hangar out of which they emerged.

"I never get enough of that plane…" Shirley sighed.

"Me neither…" Trude concurred.

"You two are surprisingly agreeable…" Minna noted with a sly smile.

"A total coincidence!" both answered at the same time.

They looked at each other and turned their faces away from each other while puffing their cheeks.

Minna giggled and looked at Toshiro, who only shook his head with a smile.

"Toshiro, can I go already?!" Erica asked.

"Wait for the engines to go into idle, or you'll get swept away by the jet stream."

"Kay, kay!"

At the same time, the engines went into idle and the loading ramp started opening. Erica shot forward towards the plane and stopped where the ramp would touch the ground, jumping up and down. The rest slowly approached the plane, looking at the energetic Erica with smiles on their faces.

The ramp only opened in about seventy percent, but Erica just jumped in and one could hear her cheers of joy, "Siiisssyy! Yaaaay!"

The gathered waited for the ramp to open fully and they saw Erica cuddling her twin sister as if the latter was the formers most favorite teddy bear.

"Come on, Erica, stop already… This is embarrassing…" Ursula protested futilely.

"Nope, heehee…"

"Ursula, should we just unload all the stuff while Erica cuddles the living daylight out of you, or should I just forcefully part her from you?" Toshiro asked in a neutral tone.

Erica looked at him with a grumpy face and let go of Ursula.

"Ah, how nice of you to talk some sense into my sister, Toshiro. Hello, by the way."

"Hi, Ursie. So, watcha got for us?"

"Three XF-2 Strikers, two MG 42V's, one MG 151/20/3, one Fliegerstern, one Neuroiabwehrwerfer 600, a whole lot of food and ammunition… and that'd be all I guess."

"But no EmNaK?" Toshiro asked with a disappointed face.

"No… But maybe next month… But I have a new toy for Trude."

"That Neuroiabwehrwerfer, right? What's that?"

"I'll explain later."

"Okay, I see everything is on trolleys so… Everyone help with unloading. Double time!"

"Roger!" the girls responded and in a few minutes, one corner of the hangar was littered with crates.

"What should we unpack first?" Toshiro asked Ursula.

"The XF-2's should be prioritized right now. You can probably guess in which crates they are, heehee…"

"A blind man would see this… Trude!"

"On it!" Trude answered vividly.

She and Toshiro picked out the three identical large crates from the stack and placed them near the Launch Units of the Karlslanders.

"Toshiro, open it," Minna said. "You're the boss."

"Okay."

He took a deep breath and ripped off the lid of one of the crates. Inside of it, he saw what was basically a miniaturized version of his own Striker.

"Not very creative…" he mumbled.

"I know, but we didn't have enough time to try out a different design."

"Does it have a codename?" Toshiro asked.

"Freya," Ursula responded.

"Not bad. So I guess you want the girls to test them before heading into battle?"

"That's why I'm here. Helma had only done limited flight tests…"

"So you want us to be guinea pigs?" Trude asked. "So Hartmann…"

"I guarantee that there shouldn't be any problems, Gertrud."

"Well, I guess you learned from that 262 mishap…" Trude sighed.

"At the same time I would like Sanya to test the Fliegerstern on her own."

"Which crate is it, I'll fetch it," Eila said.

"The red banded metal one," Ursula answered with a smile.

Eila fetched the crate and brought it before everyone. Sanya approached her lover and leaned over. Eila opened the crate and inside was a big bulky travel case.

"Oh, it has a case, just like the Fliegerhammer," Sanya said. "That's convenient. Eila, please."

"Okay!"

Eila gave Sanya the case. She opened it and pulled out a squareish launcher, longer than the Fliegerhammer but also narrower.

"Oh… It has a sight?" Sanya asked.

"A 3x reflex sight with adjustable windage and elevation. It's now retracted for storage and transport, just press the small red button on the base."

Sanya pressed the button and the scope sprang to the side.

"Nice…" Sanya said while looking through the sights. "Heheh, your head is so big, Eila."

"Oh pfff…" Eila pouted. "Oh, it only has four holes?"

"Yes, Eila." Ursula said. "Instead of 20 millimeter rockets, it now uses hundred millimeters ones, much longer and with much bigger explosive power. And much, much faster…"

"Have any dummy rounds on you?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes, of course."

Toshiro looked at Eila.

"Hell no, not again!"

"What is it, Eila?" Sanya asked.

"Toshiro wants me to be a target for you…"

"Oh… You won't do it for me, Eila?" Sanya asked with a cute voice.

"Hnnnnnnngg… Okay, I'll do it!"

The gathered laughed dryly, and afterwards, the three Karlslanders put on their jets and FFG's, and Sanya prepared her Fliegerstern.

"Okay, first thing, my compatriots - start your engines."

"Roger!" The three responded and started warming up their engines.

"Sanya, Eila, you two go now."

"Affirmative!" They responded and briefly started off.

A few seconds later, amongst the wiz of six jet engines, Minna said, "Temperatur optimal, Strahlantriebumdrehungen optimal, Öldruck normal!"

"Start!" Ursula shouted

The three whizzed past the bystanders like raging whitewater with a deafening roar. Once the dust set down, they Yoshika said, "Good that I know Karlsländisch now, heehee… Let's follow them!"

"Miyafuji, you should dust the hangar soon…" Mio said and coughed.

The three Karlslanders were zipping along the sky with blinding speed, testing the acceleration and agility of their new machines. But Toshiro was more interested with what was going on over the forest. Eila was making a beeline from west to east and Sanya was targeting her. Toshiro saw Sanya pulling the trigger.

First a bang was heard and the long, blue tipped rocket flew lazily out of one of the rocket launchers barrels. But just as it was a meter before Sanya, the rocket engines kicked in with a deafening roar, and leaving a trail of smoke it flew with immense speed towards Eila. Unfortunately, Sanya missed by a mile.

"Oh…" she said on the transponder. "I'm still used to the dead slow rockets of the Fliegerhammer…"

"Don't worry, Trudy also needed a few rounds to adjust," Eila answered. "Fire away!"

Sanya raised the Fliegerstern again and fired another rocket, hitting Eila dead center in her shield.

"Ugh, that smarts…" Eila moaned.

"Are you okay, Eila?" Sanya asked.

"I'm fine, Sanya. That was a clean hit, grats!"

"Heehee, thanks… Maybe I should save the dummy rounds for later, Toshiro?"

"If you want so, Sanya. Now, back on the ground with you both."

"Hey Bro, this is so damn fast!" Erica cheered on the transponder.

"Yeah? How fast?"

"I activated this afterburner thingie, and I'm now flying three thousand one hundred forty two!"

"Then shut it off, or you'll be too tired to fight later."

"Okay!"

"Ah shit…" Shirley mumbled.

"Your Striker doesn't have an afterburner, Shirley. Tough luck," Toshiro said and patted the redhead on the shoulder.

"I suppose making a makeshift one would be too dangerous?" Shirley looked at Ursula.

"Correct. An afterburner must be carefully calibrated and manufactured, or else…"

Ursula's stomach churned loudly, making her blush wildly.

"I guess you're hungry, huh?" Yoshika asked.

"Yes… I missed supper…"

"Toshiro, can I take Ursula and make her sandwiches?"

"Sure you can, go ahead. You can even give her a tour if she wants. Ah, how much time do you have?"

"Half an hour…"

"Oh, then eat quickly, skip the tour."

The two ran away inside and Toshiro ordered the Karlslanders to land after he cleared the old Strikers from their Launch Units.

"And?" he asked.

"I can finally hold up a candle to Elwyn, ha!" Trude boasted.

"Or in other words, very nice Strikers," Minna smiled slightly.

"Fast like fuck!" Erica cheered. "I like it so much!"

"Well, heh, glad you like it… Now for that Neuroiabwehrwerfer… Ah, but Ursula went away…"

"You can call her in through the PA system," Erica said.

"Ah, perfect," Toshiro said and approached the panel. "Ursie, what's that Neuroiabwehrwerfer all about?"

After a few seconds, Ursula responded, "The Neuroiabwehrwerfer 600, or the 8H63 as it's officially designated, is a handheld smoothbore cannon using a Hoch-Niederdruck system to fire the projectile."

"What's that?"

"I left notes in the box, read those. Anyway, it uses 8 cm W Gr Patr H1 4462 ammunition and it's rather effective against Neuroi. But it has a caveat…"

"And that would be?"

"The muzzle velocity is only 520 m/s… And there's no autoloader…"

"Ah shit… Then couldn't you just send a normal cannon like mine? Trude could probably manage with her new Striker."

"We wanted to test this gun, as it is very light compared to your cannon. If it proves ineffective in combat, we will send you a normal cannon."

"Okay, I understand. Toshiro out," He turned around. "Heard everything?"

"Yup," Trude said. "A low velocity, high power, lightweight gun… This could be interesting…"

The Karlslanders scoured the boxes and finally Trude found the one they were looking for. After opening it, they saw a stubby gun, two meters in length with an angled magwell on the right side and a handle with trigger assembly on the left. Also on the right side was a straight pull bolt for loading. On the bottom, Toshiro felt something, and when he turned the cannon upside down, he saw an ejection port.

Toshiro weighed it in his hand and said, "Wow, it's surprisingly lightweight. I guess if I was in a Striker, I could shoot it one hand without using my Super Strength…"

"Lemme see," Trude said.

Toshiro threw her the gun and she caught it with knees slightly bent.

"Just remember… that you're more…" Trude glowed and her animal ears popped up. "…MUSCULAR!" she shouted and pressed the gun against her hip. Shit, not bad. When using Super Strength, it's really light. The recoil must be miniscule, since there are no recoil buffers."

"Wait a second; I'll check something with Ursula."

He yet again approached the panel and said, "Ursie, how's the recoil on this one? I guess it's significantly lower, as I see no recoil buffers?"

"And you're right on that account, Toshiro. The ammo for the NAW uses 360 grams of propellant, as compared to 3.8 KILOGRAMS of a comparably effective 7.5 cm PzGr40."

"So basically this has even less recoil than my old fifty?"

"Yes, Toshiro."

"My, my… Did you pack any dummy rounds?"

"Yes, look for a crate of the same color as the one the NAW was stored in."

"Sure, will do."

As he turned around, he saw that Trude was already rummaging the stack of goods. After a few seconds, she pulled out a crate with a triumphant look and she approached Toshiro.

"Let's see… 8 cm W Gr Patr H1 4469… This should be it… Rip it open, and let's squeeze of a few rounds."

"Dibs!" Trude shouted.

"Hehe, okay. But you take the ammo, I'll take the gun."

"Verstanden!"

"Where are you going to shoot, by the way?" Minna asked.

"Out of the hangar into the woods, simple," Toshiro answered. "You all still here watching?" Toshiro asked the gathered.

"I won't bother with training the girls, so we have to kill time somehow, right?" Mio asked.

"I suppose so."

The procession walked out of the hangar and placed themselves in such a way that they wouldn't shoot the plane. Trude slammed the ammo crate on the ground, opened it and gave Toshiro a mag. He popped it into the magwell and pulled the bolt.

"Heheh…" Toshiro laughed briefly and turned the cannon ninety degrees counter-clockwise.

"Planning on shooting one handed?" Shirley asked.

"Bah!" Toshiro shouted and pulled the trigger.

The kick was indeed smaller than his other cannons, and the bang was also more gentle to the ears.

"Hmmm… Doable," He said. "Trudy? Want to shoot already or should I shoot another one?"

"Try shooting without magic support, heheh…"

"I can't cut it off completely, cause I am a wizard after all. But no Super Strength then."

Toshiro returned the weapon into its proper position and placed it against his hip. He pulled the bolt and the still smoking casing clanged against the concrete runway.

"What do you think, Yuki?"

"Eh, you'll manage."

Toshiro pulled the trigger and this time the recoil was significant, albeit manageable.

"Yeah, that sure was something," He said and gave the cannon to Trude. "I'll be going now, I have to see if Ursula is okay."

Toshiro went inside the building and into the common room. He came upon a rather peculiar sight, as Yoshika and Ursula were in a passionate embrace, kissing each other as if there were no tomorrow.

"Ahem."

The two twitched and separated immediately.

"Could you perhaps explain why you're smooching so vividly with Ursula?"

"She wanted some practical advice…" Yoshika said with her face red from embarrassment.

"Really?"

"Yes…" Ursula answered with an equally crimson visage.

"Ah well, better you than me, Yoshika."

"Heheh… I knew that you'd be reasonable."

"Maybe Ursula would want some practical advice from me, huh?"

"No damn way!" Yoshika shouted.

"Aaaaaaw… But why? Ursula is of limits too?"

"That and we don't have time. But maybe if you were to visit us for a bit longer, Ursula…" Yoshika looked meaningfully at Ursula.

"Ehhh… Maybe I'll pass… I don't think I'm ready yet…"

"Suit yourself. I would be gentle if you'd want…" Toshiro snickered.

Yoshika jumped up and slapped Toshiro on the back of his head.

"Okay, okay…" Toshiro mumbled. "Are you full?"

"Yes, thank you for allowing me to eat something."

"Then let's go back to the hangar."

The three arrived into the hangar, and the first one to approach them was Trude.

"Hey, Hartmann, don't you have some kind of harness or backpack for me?"

"Oh, right! It's in another crate, accustomed to the mags from the NAW and more or less to your stature."

"Then why didn't you list it in the first place?"

"I forgot, heehee… If you have any questions, ask them now, because I have to go already."

"When will you be back?!" Erica asked.

"I doubt I will be back soon… After this I'm being transferred to another project…"

"Aaaaaawww… Call me! You never call me!" Erica shouted in a childish fit.

"You know I'm busy…"

Erica simply hugged Ursula and said, "Yeah, I know… Have a good flight."

"Thanks…" Ursula said softly and patted Erica on her back.

"I have a question, Ursula," Toshiro said. "How's my harem going on?"

The girls from the 501st, except Yoshika, looked at Toshiro with wide opened eyes.

"Ah, snap… I almost forgot… They send you their warmest greetings, Toshiro."

"Oh, thanks. Greet them back for me, okay?"

"Will do. Goodbye, everyone."

"Bye…" Everyone said meekly.

"Heehee, don't look so shocked, it's not what you think it is," Ursula said and went into the plane.

The ramp closed, the plane taxied to the end of the runway and flew off westward.

"Toshiro… What did you mean by harem?" Shirley asked.

"Ah, I was joking about all the girls I befriended in Neue Karlsland. At any given time I had at least THREE following me for meals."

"Son of a gun…" Shirley mumbled.

"Speaking of which… Minna and Trude, you tend to your new guns, I'll go to the briefing room and start drawing diagrams for the briefing."

"Verstanden," the two answered.

"The rest of you… Hmm… You might as well follow me, since the briefing will begin after the two finish dabbling with their weapons."

"Roger!" the girls answered and followed Toshiro to the briefing room.

They all took their seats and watched as Toshiro drew the battle plan with multi-colored chalk. Before he finished, Minna and Trude came in.

"Impressive…" Minna said. "So we basically use a straightforward spearhead attack with a team sniping in from the back?"

"Exactimundo, Minna. Lynne, Shizuka, and Perrine will be in the back, and Sanya with Eila will be straggling between the main force and the aforementioned trio, picking off any enemies."

"Sounds simple," Perrine said.

Lynne nodded to that, with Shizuka following her.

"And Sanya will be rather safe," Eila said, to which everyone sighed.

"Yes, she will be safe," Toshiro said. "But remember, this is an assault on a Hive, something nobody would consider two years ago, and something that had to be thought through very carefully even now. Everyone has to have eyes around their heads and pull no punches. Understood?!"

"YES!" the girls responded.

"Now, dismissed. Everyone charge up their batteries, do your physiological needs and whatever is needed to get you in battle spirit."

Toshiro watched as the girls stormed out of the room, with only Yoshika remaining.

"Hmm?"

"Toshiro, and what will WE do?"

"We've both been inside a Hive already, you should know what to do."

"I mean beforehand. We just plow forward not minding our surroundings and breach inside the Hive?"

"Pretty much yes."

"Then why don't we two, or even you alone, pull it off?"

"Because, my dear Creampuff, the mission parameters state that the whole unit should participate. Orders are orders…"

"Oh… Well, nothing we can do about that. What should we do now?"

"We have slightly over two hours left… Humm… Dunno, honestly."

"Maybe we should go for a walk?"

"I see nothing bad in that, come on."

"Aaaaah…" Toshiro sighed deeply amongst the pines.

"What is it, Toshiro?" Yoshika asked.

"I'm disappointed… No railgun…"

"You sure want that toy, huh?" Yoshika asked slyly. "I saw it in your memories, and that sure was a nice piece of equipment, that I'll admit. And the tank itself wasn't something to shrug at either, heh…"

"Yeah, I do want it… It would be the ultimate sniper weapon…"

Before them, Livy suddenly appeared asking, "Master, will you hear me out?"

"If you have something meaningful to say, sure…" he sighed.

"I… I could alleviate this little shortage of electromagnetic precision rifles in your life… B-But I want you to ask for it, Master!"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, and after a few seconds of pondering, he suddenly kneeled before Livy, took her right hands, and softly asked, "Livy, will you be my railgun?"

"Of course, Master," she said as she embraced him. "Raise yourself, Master; I have to practice shooting me with you."

Toshiro stood up on his legs, and then Livy disappeared, and something appeared on his right hand.

A white smooth shape, starting at his wrist, and widening mildly further on, with two thin rectangles, made of the same material as the outer part of Oblivion Lost, cut under a forty-five degree angle at the ends, with the cut parts facing outwards. Between them were two more rectangles, smaller, and with the cut parts going towards each other, made from the inner part of Oblivion Lost, with about a two-finger space between them.

Both Toshiro and Yoshika were looking at the device amazed, and then they heard Livy's voice.

"This, Master and Mistress, is a weapon form I decided to take to fulfill the Masters wish. I thought about it a bit, and I came up with what you now see."

"So… This is a rail gun?" Yoshika asked. "I see no iron sights or anything…"

"That is not something to be concerned of, Mistress. Allow me."

Suddenly Toshiro's vision flashed blue, and words started appearing.

Shiryah Guidance System v1.0

Boot sequence complete – Welcome, Master Toshiro

Synch – 100%

All system values nominal.

"Shiryah?" Toshiro asked.

"A word from an old language denoting a weapon," Livy giggled. "I figured you'd like it, Master."

"Well, I do… Kinda… Heh…"

The words disappeared, and then three red rectangles with crosshairs inside them in the center of his vision, deviating towards the left. Beside that, he saw what was behind him in a small window in his upper right and something unidentified in the upper-left corner window.

"What the fuck is all of this, Livy?" Toshiro asked visibly confused.

"The right window is what is behind you, a little spatial awareness cheat, heehee… The left window is synchronized with the three rectangles, Master. Those are crosshairs that are rigged with me, so it's a three-dimensional representation of your aim point, Master."

Toshiro was a bit perplexed by Livy, but he started moving his weaponized right hand around, and he soon understood what she was telling him.

"Nifty… So if I want to shoot straight, I have to align the crosshairs?"

"Indeed, Master. And the left window is a highly magnified view of what you're aiming at."

"Damn, this is almost cheating…" he muttered. "Oh, could you show this to Yoshika? She looks as if we're speaking ancient Greek."

"Of course, Master," she giggled, and Yoshika jumped up slightly.

"Oh, now I understand!" she shouted irritated. "Wow, fancy…"

"How about some target practice, Master?" Livy asked.

"You're still asking and not doing anything?! Livy!"

"Hahaha! Forgive me, Master! There's a target ten kilometers away from you, straight ahead, at a considerable height."

"Woah, not overestimating my abilities, are you, Livylein?"

"Maaaster, pleaaase…"

"Okay, okay… How do I make this fire?"

"You may not feel this, but your hand is wrapped around a handle. On one side of it is one button, which you can operate with your trigger finger, and one for your thumb, Master. The thumb button starts charging the shot, and the trigger… well, it's the trigger."

"How will I know when it's okay to fire?"

"You'll know, Master," she replied softly.

"Ammo?"

"Pick your poison, Master. You can shoot anything that will fit between the stator and that can be magnetized."

Toshiro made a tungsten rod appear in his left hand, sharpened at the tip, about ten centimeters in length, and three in diameter. A bit hesitantly, he put it between the black bits, and the rod started floating on it's own. Words started appearing under an image of the rod on his eye display.

Tungsten carbide (90%), cobalt (10%)

Ammunition suitability: S

Penetration capability: S

Projected deviation: 1µm/1000m

"Let's make some noise, huh, Yoshika?"

"Just fire already, the tension is killing me!" Yoshika shouted, jumping up and down.

"Ha!" Toshiro laughed, and started scanning the area before him.

After a moment, he finally noticed the target, a harvest festival fair grade target, painted white and red, floating in the air. He took aim, supporting his right hand with his left. The three crosshairs aligned, and changed their colors to green. Toshiro saw the target as if he was just a few meters before it. He pressed and held the charging button, and empty blue bar appeared. At the same time, the stator started turning clockwise, generating random electrical discharges. The bar started filling up with a red colors, that halfway turned into yellow, and in the 3/4th it got green.

"You can fire now, Master, or charge more if you must. Green means that the optimal amount of magic has been allocated for the slug to reach and hit the target as it is now."

"Bigger charge, bigger bang?"

"Heehee, indeed."

Toshiro held the charge a bit longer, and the bar filled up, but suddenly, another one appeared, filling up a bit slower.

"Hmm?"

"That's the overcharge bar, Master. One overcharge bar is moderately taxing, and highly destructive, but another one could probably reach outer space, but exhaust you proportionally. I leave it to your discretion to find out how powerful I can be in this form, Master."

"Wow… But let's not risk exhaustion before a battle… FIRE!" he yelled and pressed the trigger.

The spark of the shot slug was so bright that the surrounding seemed to darken around it. It left a thin blue-orange trail of magic the afterimage of the superheated projectile, reaching the target faster than Toshiro could process it without diluting time.

"Hooooly shit… That was like… Thirty thousand meters per second!"

"How fast?!"

"You heard me, Bub!"

"Daaaayuuum…"

"You can say that again..." Yoshika gasped. "I really would want to see a fully charged shot…"

"Maybe one day…" Toshiro nodded. "You did well, Livy."

She returned to her human form and said, "Oh but Master, you were the one shooting…"

"Yeah yeah… The man shoots, God carries the bullets," Toshiro snickered and slowly patted her on the head. "I think we have to return back."

"Yeah, we took our time," Yoshika said.

"Have a good time," Livy bowed her head and disappeared.

Upon returning, they saw the whole unit preparing in the hangar. Toshiro dropped his coat on his Launch Unit and took his MG 151 and a whole backpack of ammunition.

"Not taking a cannon?" Trude asked.

"A cannon is unwieldy, and I have to storm the inside of the Hive. You can take one if you want."

"No, thanks, I have the NAW 600 to test. But I'm still taking my two new MG 42V's as backup."

"Fine by me," he looked at Eila, whose back was now full of rocket loaders for the Fliegerstern. "Eila, let Sanya carry her own shit."

"No, Toshiro, it's okay," Sanya said. "Frankly, the rockets are a bit heavy, so I asked Eila myself…"

"Ah, sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"Heehee, it's okay."

After a few minutes, just before Toshiro gave the order to move out, Heidi came inside of the hangar.

"Good morning and good luck." She said with a shy smile.

"Thanks!" the girls and Toshiro responded in unison.

"501st, move out!" Toshiro ordered.

After thirty minutes of flight, they were finally in range. The whole city of Ingolstadt was ruined beyond repair, and covered in a purple mist. The enormous hive was hovering about two kilometers above ground.

"Is that miasma?" Toshiro asked. "Never seen it before…"

"The Neuroi have grounded themselves here, so now they release miasma to prevent land assaults." Minna explained. "Be careful, not even you would survive a prolonged exposition to miasma."

I doubt that… My Sacred Flame would enable me not to breathe and shield my from the environment.

"Sniper team, stay here."

"Roger," Lynne, Shizuka, and Perrine answered and stopped.

After a bit Toshiro said, "Sanya and Eila, this is where you should stop."

"Okay," they responded.

Suddenly, dozens of medium sized Neuroi descended from the Hive.

"Lieber Gott im Himmel…" Minna whispered.

"Falter not!" Toshiro shouted. "Battle formation! Commence attack!"

"Roger!" they all shouted and rushed forward.

The Neuroi flew to greet them. Trude took off the cannon from her back, pulled the bolt, and shot once. The nearest Neuroi was penetrated and exploded violently.

"Damn! Nice!" Trude shouted and reloaded.

Mio drew Reppumaru and looked slyly at Toshiro.

"Let it rip, Mio!"

"Hahaha!" Mio cackled and her sword glowed fiercely. "REPPUZAN!" Mio yelled and swung her sword horizontally.

The wide arc of the shimmering blue attack took out five Neuroi in one go.

"Holy shit! Even better than in Romagna!" Mio shouted and laughed.

"Time to see what these MG's are worth… Erica, on me!" Minna commanded.

"Okay!" Erica answered and joined Minna in a strafing run that yielded ten kills.

"Yoshika, it's time," Toshiro said and activated the Tekkaku Hebigan. "The core is on about the third of the height from the bottom."

"Understood, Toshiro," Yoshika said and summoned her sword, still black like coal. "Take me to the core."

Toshiro took her hand and flared up into the sky. After reaching the altitude of ten kilometers above sea level, he started diving.

"Watch out, Yoshika. When I let you go, don't deviate by a millimeter. Pull up your strongest shield and just rip through that black cloud and cut the core."

"Okay," she said with fierce resolve.

When the time was right, he said, "Releasing you in… now!"

He threw Yoshika straight down into the Hive. He saw her penetrating the cloud cover and smashing dead into the core.

The Hive and all Neuroi around exploded into the usual white particle blizzard. Toshiro flew to Yoshika and said, "Well, now you're ahead of me in Hive kills, heheh…"

"Well, I'll leave the next one; if there will be one, for you, heehee… Let's go back to the rest."

The two flied towards Mio who was waiting for the rest to join her. Mio pumped her fist in the air in a gesture of triumph.

But them, out of nowhere, a beam cut the air and hit Mio straight in the hand.

What… the…

"MIO!" Toshiro yelled.

Yoshika was faster than he was as she rushed to Mio. Toshiro quickly joined the two and heard the almost animal scream of Mio.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHH!"

"Miss Sakamoto… No…"

Toshiro looked at the wound. The hand was singed straight at the joint, with most of the tissue cauterized, but still, blood was spurting from some blood vessels. Yoshika immediately started healing the wound.

Toshiro looked around and saw that Towers were starting to appear en masse around the outskirts of the city.

"How dare you…" Perrine's angry voice was heard on the transponder.

Toshiro looked in direction of the Gallian. He long blonde hair was now fluttering and moving, as if it was a live entity.

"How dare you… HOW DARE YOU ATTACK HER!"

Perrine's left hand sparked with an enormous thunderbolt and she threw it towards the nearest tower. Instead of just destroying it, the lightning jumped from target to target, destroying each on the way. In five seconds, fifteen and all towers were destroyed.

A Final Art?

Toshiro looked at Yoshika and Mio.

"Aaaaaggghh… I lost my magic… Then I regained it… But now… Shit! Fuck! Now I won't even be able to serve in the military!"

"Ssssh, Miss Sakamoto, calm down…"

"You don't understand, Miyafuji… Not only am I going to be sent into retirement, I'll also be a damn cripple… Losing a hand for a swordsman… This is the end…" Mio said with a constricted throat and a single tear dancing in the corner of her right eye.

"Toshiro, give me a power up!" Yoshika commanded.

He flew closer and grabbed Yoshika's shoulder.

"If it's the case, I WILL regenerate your hand!"

"Miyafuji, don't be stupid… You can't regenerate a whole hand…"

"I will! I will! Because I can't have you go into retirement on my watch! Not before you acknowledge me!"

Toshiro suddenly felt woozy and he saw that his Celestial Aura came on. His ears started ringing but after a few seconds, he could hear nothing.

What's happening to me… Yuki… Where are you? Yuki?

His vision started blurring but he saw that Mio's hand was rebuilding itself. Millimeter after millimeter of bone, flesh, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves started appearing.

This is… What's happening to me…

Colors started fading from Toshiro. His vision blurred even more severely. The edges of his field of view started getting dark.

What… Is… Going…

Darkness befell Toshiro. In the darkness, he saw Yoshika coming for him, clad in white, glowing in the darkness. Her lips were moving, but he didn't hear what she was saying. She approached him on arm's length and then, Toshiro's consciousness left him totally.

AN time!

Neuroiabwehrwerfer (lit. Anti-Neuroi Thrower) - this is of course based on the Panzerabwehrwerfer 600. Pic in profile.

Livygun - if you have trouble imagining it, look for a pic in my profile.

Fliegerstern (lit. Flying Star) - think M202 FLASH

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!