Chapter 16:
The siege of Village of Smiles
(part 2)
As the afternoon approaches, the battle died down. Since this morning, the Marines and JSDF fought continously, able to fend off wave after wave of hostile infantry thanks to air support and by sheer volume of fire. However, they all knew the battle wasn't over. With their air support unavailable for the rest of the day, they are going to have to hold their grounds in the dark on their own.
With the high number of casualties and limited ammunation supplies, most of them felt uneasy of their current situation. Their supplies underestimated the enemy's numbers and resistances. They weren't facing some light infantry anymore, they have to face stronger opponents, their small arms rounds couldn't make a single dent or any significant damage. What could kill a man with a single shot, was an airsoft gun to them.
Itami carried over his shoulders Sergeant Azuma, wounded to the left leg and ribcages. He sprinted as fast as he could through the chaotic bombardment of imperial artilleries to the village's makeshift medical station.
"I thought we took out their artillery..." He muttered bitterly under his breath. "Hang in there, sergeant!" He shouted at the wounded soldier, who simply responded with a thumbs up.
Itami let out a cry of determination and used every bit of his energy as he rushes towards the medical station. On cue, two Marines with a stretcher arrived and let Itami drop gently Azuma on it and carried him away in the building. Itami did not take a moment to rest as he sprints back to the trenches.
The artillery shells scorched the grassy plains in front of the defensive lines, shooting out large chunks of dirt and thick smoke blocking their NVGs. Unbeknownst to them, the main infantry force crept behind the bombardment, using it as cover from the humans' nightvision goggles.
After a few seconds more of chaos and destruction, the Marines and the JGSDF pop their heads out of cover only to be met by a roaring charge of the enemy. Kicked by instinct and training, they readied their weapons and opened fire, the mortars later joined in.
Tracer rounds filled the already ruinous landscape. The LAVs and APCs opened fire at the charging crowd. It quickly became a shooting gallery for them. As the imperial infantry approaches, the IDDF soldiers started to throw out frag grenades in a last ditch attempt to break their numbers.
A Commandramon gave out a cry of determination and fury as he charges towards Raymond. The Lieutenant quickly draws out his M9 pistol and fired three shots to the chest. The digimon in front of him died and another charged at him at the corner of his eye. Raymond spun quickly and fired another three rounds and did the same over and over again as more and more imperials showed up. His position has been saved from being overrun thanks to Cyberdramon's intervention, mowing down a whole squad of imperials with his trusty M240B.
"I've got this, sir. The mortar team needs your assistance, sir." The digimon informed while deploying his weapon's bipod and resumed to fire.
Raymond climbed out of the trench and ran to the back lines. Once he linked up with the mortar team, he could see that some of the crew had been wounded severely.
"Status report." He demanded.
"We're getting pinned down by enemy sharpshooters and our mortars are overheating, we need water and fast, sir." Replied hurriedly a Marine corporal.
"Where's Corporal Guilmon?" He asked as he looks around him.
"Evacuating some of our wounded and searching for the corpsman, sir." Replied the Marine while putting some pressure on another Marine's wound.
"Alright, hang tight, Marines! I'll be back." He stated before he ran off to his M-ATV.
He opened the front passenger's seat door and looked in there. As he bent down, he avoided a bullet that struck through the window by sheer random luck. He took a couple of water bottles from his backpack and ran back to the mortar crew.
He immediately hit the ground as a bullet hit dangerously close him. He passed the bottles to the Marines and looked through his ACOG to determine the bullet's original trajectory. He kept observing carefully, trying to find the sharpshooter among the chaotic battle. Then he spotted a muzzle flash coming from the barren forest followed by a bullet whizzing pass his head.
"Found that son of a bitch!" He announced without flinching from the earlier projectile. "Single shooter, 300 meters ahead of us..."
As he continues to give out the order, the mortar were preparing their shots, adjusting their mortars and readying a H.E round.
"Fire for effect!"
"Fire for effect!"
The mortar team launched three rounds to the sky before it plummeted down in the forest.
"Fire again, same coordinates!"
"Fire in the hole!"
Another three rounds hit the forest, chunks of bark and dirt shot out in the air.
"Good effect on target. Good job, boys!"
Raymond picked up his M4A1 and ran back to the frontlines to direct and assist his men.
10 km East of Village of Smiles. 2nd Armoured Division, Bravo Company, JGSDF
"Listen up! Our allies are taking heavy resistance from two sides. Command's dispatching the infantry and the air force to their main base, while we are going to help out a Recon team and a Marine platoon in a village, fighting a force of at least 800 hostiles. They have VIPs to protect and time is against them. We're giving them a hand and we'll show these imperial basterds how we fight. Am I clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
The column of 12 Type 10 Hitomaru tanks thread along the landscape in the darkness, the sound of heavy engines and tracks resonated loudly around them, scaring off the local digimon bugs at the nearby forests.
Staff Sergeant Hiroki Taneda, tank commander of the "Demolisher", part of 1st Platoon and currently at the forefront of the assault formation.
"Permission to speak, sir?" Asked Cpl. Hizaya "Yoyo" Yoshida, the tank's gunner.
"Granted." He replied shortly, though it was with reluctance.
"Sir, did we just agreed to go on a suicide mission against 800 digital monsters?" The gunner asked sarcastically.
"Yes, Yoyo, we did." He answered after sighing.
"Then I have a cunning plan for getting us out of this situation!" He announced proudly.
"Let me guess, it's shooting ourselves in the head..." Proposed Cpl. Ken Amari, the tank's driver.
"Close enough. You see-"
"Is your plan as cunning as a fox who has just been appointed professor of cunning at Oxford University?" Interrupted Taneda ironically.
"Yes, sir. It is so cunning, you'll think of me as a grown man like you." Replied the gunner. "Except I don't look like an Otaku faggot and talk all educated." He continued under his breath.
"Heard that." The Staff Sergeant informed before receiving an order from the platoon commander.
"To all units, halt formation. We've got activity 3 klicks ahead."
The arrow-shaped tank formation stopped abruptly. Farther away from the formation, behind the dark filled plains and forests, flashes of light and thick smoke could be seen.
"That's our boys and americans out there. Looks like they're still in the fight. Let's move out and bring some pain to the enemy!" Announced the platoon commander enthusiastically before the formation charged forward.
The battle grew fiercer as the IDDF soldiers pulled back to their 2nd defensive line. The two LAV-25 spewed out 25 mm rounds from their M242 Bushmaster chain gun while the infantry retreated. The 2nd defensive line consisted mostly of Hesco barriers and the convoy's vehicles as defense turrets.
"I want those 50s up and running!" Yelled Raymond as he took out two Sealsdramon with five rounds bursts to the chest each.
The loud, angry barking of the Browning Machine guns opened fire at the hostile foot soldiers, clouds of red mists popped up at every digimon who fell from the machine gun's powerful stopping power. For those who didn't die immediately from the machine guns were unfortunately trampled to death by their comrades. The mortar teams were relocated at the village's market place, where they continued to launch high explosive rounds from a safe distance.
"They're going to overrun us!" Shouted a Marine Corporal as the enemy steadily approached them.
The infantry and vehicles continued to lay down a wall of hot lead while slowly backing away to the village's center.
"Conserve your ammo! Aim center mass, five rounds should do!" Instructed Dukeman.
"Ah fuck! I'm hit!" Shouted a Marine private, on the ground with one hand holding the wound to his right leg and the other holding his M16A4, firing a couple of shots.
Two Marines came to his aid and lifted him of the ground and carried him to the medical station.
Raymond had his right eye glued to the rifle's combat optic, switching to one target after another after each burst. Like some mechanical turret, shifting his body left and right and taking digimon with rapid and deadly precision. Once his mag went empty, he reloaded his weapon in a second and resumed to fire at the imperials.
Suddenly, plumes of mud and blood shot into the sky from several areas in the enemy forward line, their infantry cried out in pain as more explosions took out their numbers. Caught by surprise and now in confusion and panic, the imperials started to flee in a disorganized mess.
"This is Iron 1-2, 2nd Armoured division at your service, Lieutenant Itami."
"Thank God, you guys are here!" Raymond chuckled lightly upon hearig Itami's exclamation through his headset.
"Alright, Marines! Tank support just arrived! Let them have it, boys!" Encouraged loudly Dukeman. "Retreat?"
"Hell!"
The tide of battle has changed as Commander MachGaogamon let out a furious growl as he observes through his binoculars his troops fleeing.
"Who gave them the damn order to retreat?" He snarled and turned to his 2IC. "Get out there and lead them the other way." He ordered to NeoDevimon. "I'll handle their heavy support."
"As you wish, Commander." The Fallen Angel murmured before flying off to the frontlines.
"Sergeant Rapidmon! Get your team ready, you're all coming with me." The cyborg canine announced sternly.
With the tank support, the Marines and the Recon team managed to push back the imperials out of the first defensive line and reclaiming their trenches.
Dukeman made a slide towards the LAV-25 next to Raymond. He gave a little knock on the officer's helmet to grab his attention. Raymond turned back and listened.
"I think it'll be a good idea that we call Knightmon and his soldiers and go to the offensive."
"Good idea. Call them up now, I'll cover you."
The Staff Sergeant nodded and ran back to the backlines. Moments later, Raymond could hear multiple metal footsteps, even through the LAV's main gun firing. As he reloaded his rifle, a hundred white PawnChessmon ran pass him with their Knightmon leading the front and their king charging into the fray with them with an excited smile.
"In your positions, digimon!" Hollered Knightmon and took out his greatshield off his back.
As ordered, the white pawn digimon lined up and stacked upon each other on both the knight's sides. In unison, they raised their shields and an aura envelopped them. The shields were held closely and their spears poked out.
"Storm of Steel!"
The formation of a hundred chess pawn digimon started to move forward at a slow pace. Squad leaders of the joint coalition ordered their men to take cover behind the digimon wall while the light vehicles moved at their pace while still firing.
The imperials scrambled to regroup through their chaos. On one end, they were being blown to pieces by the human tanks and on the other, the defenders were conducting a counter-charge with everything they had. The wall formation stabbed at any nearby digimon in front of them while the IDDF soldiers gunned down those on the sides to prevent any flanking and encirclement.
"1st and 2nd squad, grenades out!" Ordered Raymond as he takes out a frag grenade.
The squads lined up and on the officer's mark, they hurled the hand grenades over the formation. The defenders had to stop as the grenades detonated, sending shrapnel and dirt over them. The grenades levelled everything off the grass and created instant foxholes for the human soldiers.
Just as they were about to move forward again, Raymond spun around to looked back at the tanks who didn't fire for the last minute. To his shock, the japanese tanks were being engaged by a small team of fast aerial digimon and they had lost already two tanks. His attention then turned behind him as he saw a fast flying digimon charging over them towards a Humvee. It lashed out two electrified claw attacks, slicing the gunner and the vehicle in half before exploding, killing the three passengers in it.
"Son of a bitch! Itami! Take your team and assist the tanks fast!" Itami gave a thumbs-up and entered in the lead vehicle and the japanese convoy drove away from the formation.
"4th squad with me!" He shouted and ran towards the destroyed Humvee.
The 4th squad encircled around the Fallen Angel digimon and opened fire. The NeoDevimon used his golden claws to deflect off most of the incoming bullets.
"Deep Sorrow!" He flapped his wings and shot out slow moving dark projectiles around him.
The dark auras pounced in every direction. A aura hit Raymond to the chest, the force was powerful enough to push him on the ground. Some Marines dodged the projectiles but a Marine private wasn't quick enough and took a shot to the face. The Private violently knelt over the grass and screamed in torture while covering his face with his hands, trying to grab something out as if there was something on his face.
"Fuck! Get it off of me! Get it off! Somebody help me!" He continued to scream while two Marines tackled him on the ground and tried to help him. Meanwhile the rest of the squad covered them. NeoDevimon flew in various spots above them to throw their aim off and dived down at another Marine.
"Guilty Claw!" He shouted before puncturing his left claw through the human.
The victim gasped in shock and pain. Blood leaked out of his punctured body armour and on the digimon's hand, and out of his mouth. The Marine gripped the left claw and looked up at the digimon's masked face with defiance as he slowly grabs for his combat knife.
NeoDevimon looked at his left claw with confusion and bewilderment. He didn't expected to actually fatally wound the soldier. There was no dark energy going through his victim's body like it was intended to. He then felt a strong grip on his claw and looked down at the soldier's face. The mortally wounded glared at him and let out a furocious battle cry as he stabbed NeoDevimon right between his ribcages.
The Fallen Angel snarled and took out his claw from the human's torso, blood splashed over his face. Suddenly he felt incoming heat near his face.
"Flame Fist, Motherfucker!" Roared Flamedramon as he shoots fireballs from his fists at point blank range.
The series of fireballs sent the digimon a few feet in the air before he crashed down a couple meters away. Raymond was pulled back up by a Marine before he walked up to the Fallen Angel and drew his sidearm up.
"Put your hands behind your head or we will shoot!" Warned Raymond while the Marines surrounded NeoDevimon, their weapons trained at the digimon.
"You really think you can take me out, human?" NeoDevimon sneered as he stood up slowly. "You're all nothing but meatshields. You will not win this war nor will you see the end of it!" Electricity charged in his claws as he extends them, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Shoot the wings now!" Ordered Raymond.
NeoDevimon let out an angered growl as bullets pierced his wings, rendering them useless. He jumped over a Marine and slashed his torso. Blood shot out of the body and rained on the digimon. The rest of 4th squad continued to open fire while walking backwards, staying as far away as possible.
As NeoDevimon launched to Flamedramon, the blue dragon raised his M16A4 rifle up at the last second to deflect the attack. The claw cut right through the rifle, slicing it in half. Flamedramon jumped away and paled once he inspects his rifle's condition.
NeoDevimon was about to lash out another series of attack at Flamedramon when all of the sudden he spotted a giant fireball coming straight for him. Ducking at the last second, the heated energy made contact with his wings and burned away whatever flesh remained on them.
"Thanks for the save, Shoutmon!" Yelled Flamedramon relieved.
While the NeoDevimon tried to take the flames off his back, Raymond charged towards his chest, a bayonet fixed on his rifle's barrel. He let out a battle cry as he thrusted his bayonet deep in his ribcages where, he assumed, the heart should be. NeoDevimon groaned in pain and swung a claw at the human's head. Raymond dodged it and used all of his strength to push the perfect-level Digimon to the ground.
Once he tumbled on the ground with him, he quickly drew out his bayonet out of the digimon's chest and fired multiple times on it. The Fallen Angel soon became data particles. Raymond stood at the spot for a few seconds, panting from the sudden rush of adrenaline surging in his body. He looked down at where the digimon used to be, comtemplating the droplets of blood that came down from his bayonet. Mild confusion clouded his mind before he felt a soft pressure on his right shoulder.
"Are you okay, sir?" Asked Flamedramon with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Replied Raymond before he faced the blue dragon. "How's your squad?"
"Two KIA and Charlie has been cursed, he's permanently blind." Reported sadly the sergeant.
"Get your men to the backlines now, we'll handle the rest." Instructed Raymond and Flamedramon gave a quick salute.
With the legionnaires' second-in-command gone, many soldiers started to surrender on the spot while others continued to flee from the battle. Enemy team leaders and officers would order some of their soldiers to execute those who retreat. On the Imperial forest camp, a platoon-size force attacked any nearby fleeing imperial soldier. Through the self-inflicted carnage, the Marines were instructed to escort the prisoners as fast as they can.
As the white PawnChessmon wall approached the now burned and desolated forest, the wall stabbed at the nearby infantry soldiers and jumped on them, the wall breaking and leaving space for Marines and their vehicles further deep in enemy territory.
Rushing through the ashen and barren forest, the Marine's advance was soon halted once they've reached the camp, the imperial artillery units pinning them. The Marines fired back while using tree stumps and craters as cover. LAVs and IFVs unleashed storms of lead as they charged through the camp.
In half an hour, the Marines and the JSDF recon team were victorious. What seemed to be impossible ended in a roaring cheer. Though MachGaogamon hasn't been neutralized, he surrendered once he saw the Marines had broken through his defensive line.
Between the decayed forest and the damaged village, what was once a beautiful plain filled with lush green grass and various colorful flowers, was now a barren and destroyed landscape. Filled with smoking craters and mud, the flowers crushed and ruined by the vehicles and boots. The smell of gunpowder replaced the pure clean air, bullet casings and blood littered the ground.
The Marines were being ordered to escort and to keep watch on their prisoners at the village's first defensive line. The Marines surrounded the group of prisonners that sat down. Their weapons were still drawn out in case one of the POWs decide to fight back. And if that case came true, the humans will definitively be annihilated, their numbers are too short to hold them off again.
"Listen up! While the medics inspect the soldiers for any woundeds, distribute around MREs to the prisoners." Instructed Raymond as he opens a rucksack filled with Meal Ready to Eat rations and tossed one at a Commandramon.
Some Marines gathered around the rucksack, took a handful off MREs and distributed to the prisoners. The digimon were at first hesitant but accepted respectfully the rations.
While the food ration distribution happened, Itami, Yamaki, Kuwabara, Kuribayashi and some tank team leaders were gathered in an abandonned civilian home. They had their arms crossed and looks of worries plastered on their face as Itami tried for the last 10 minutes to contact the main base on the radio.
"Golf-Zulu, this is Recon 3-Actual, respond. We have multiple wounded and prisoners to evacuate. Please respond."
Itami sighed after a full minute of silence. But he did not give up hope yet. He fumbled around with the radio and tuned in again.
"Any station, this is Recon 3-Actual of the JSDF. We have multiple wounded and prisoners to evacuate. We're currently low on ammo and numbers. To any station, please respond."
Itami repeated the message several times until he finally heard something on the other end.
"This is Warhammer of the RAF. We just got back from a firing mission but we can guide you to our base. What's your location?"
Itami beamed like a Christmas tree and quickly gave out the coordinates. Some of the men in the building cheered. Yamaki let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, flicking his lighter playfully. It was finally time to get out of this mess.