I

UNDERDOG

"ATONE FOR YOUR SINS"

DISCLAIMER

NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. With the potential number of changes in the canon, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that combines both elements and characters from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, while adopting some actual new elements from the canon. This story is also not too "Lore-Friendly" (aka not being too accurate to the world of the Canon.) So, be warned if some inaccurate information in this AU may make you cringe.

Both shows along with their characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to SpindleHorse and its creator, Vivienne Medrano (aka "VivziePop".) The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.

If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.

Chapter 11: Raid.

Emergency!

-(Janice's Jewelries; Pentagram City, Pride Ring)-

(Morgan's POV)

Two days later. The day of the meeting.

I'll admit, the more this day was approaching back then, I was feeling a little bit nervous than usual due to this being my first important assignment. Another reason was because I was not looking for an engagement ring for Marcela and was thinking of getting us both a wedding ring for the future so I wouldn't have to worry about picking it later. As for why I was here today was because Charlie finally got some free time before the meeting to continue her search for a dating anniversary present for Vaggie. Honestly, I wasn't much of a guy who knows jewelry, so I just observed her on how she selects them.

"So, do you know exactly what you're looking for?" I asked while peeking over at the display case Charlie was at, which was all necklaces.

Charlie bit her lip and looked at me. "You think giving her a necklace seems too…predictable?"

"Even if it is, Vaggie seems like the woman that would happily accept a gift from her special someone."

"Plus, it's a safer option. Everyone loves necklaces." Janice, the store owner added.

"That's the thing. I want to give something more unique." She sighed while passing by the other necklace cases. "Colonel, if Vaggie was your girlfriend, what would you give her?"

"Anger management?" I answered jokingly.

Janice chortled and sighed. "Oh my God. You're an asshole."

Charlie pouted and bonked my head softly. "In this store, dumbass."

"Sorry, sorry. Jokes aside, I probably would have given her an anklet or maybe even an antique knife, since she prefers to use them and spears, it seems." I answered honestly.

"I sell some anklets. But definitely not any knives and spears." Janice chuckled and glanced away sheepishly. "My husband works on jewelry. Not weapons." She added.

"Hmm. Well, since there's not a lot of anklets compared to the others, how about we look for the rings for you and Marcela first?" Charlie suggested while placing her finger on the glass case filled with a variety of beautiful rings. Engagement and wedding rings included.

I shrugged my shoulders and tilted my head but agreed to it. "Might as well get my things out of the way first, then we can focus on yours." I said before moving my glance down to the rings before spotting a silver ring with a set of light red diamonds on top. "Actually…"

Janice noticed me glancing down at the ring and gave a smile. "That was fast."

"I know diamonds are overrated and inflated. But that does look pretty good for an engagement ring, which is temporary."

"True." Janice chuckled. "But all the jewelry here are 100% made by Hell's materials, which differs in value compared to Earth's. Down here, it's more expensive. If you give a diamond mined from Hell to a jewelry store on Earth, it's an 80% increase in value. Not to mention, that ring is made of dusk silver from the Wrath Ring, and the red diamond is an amaranth diamond from the mountainous southern parts of the Pride Ring."

Charlie bit her lip and tilted her head. "Colonel, that means the ring you're looking at is probably worth a lot of money than your usual engagement ring."

"How much?"

"$11,500." Janice answered.

"Which is twice the number of souls." Charlie added, using the Hellish version name of currency.

"Does that mean I have to kill more people?" I joked, which did make Janice laugh but Charlie roll her eyes. "I'll take it though."

Janice then stopped laughing and looked at me, surprised. "You serious…?"

"I'm a Colonel in the WarDogs, which is basically a six-figure salary. I can afford it easily."

"True." She shrugged and went over to the glass case it was in and picked it up to show me directly. "Well, you sure? There are cheaper options than this if you still want to save some money."

"It's all good. One please." I smiled.

With that out of the way, now it was just down to finding two wedding rings so I wouldn't have to worry about it later on. As soon as I finalized my decision on the ring earlier, Charlie was already helping out by scanning out for any recommendations while a bit further where I stood, down the glass display case. While walking up to her, I continued to scan each set of two rings where it was clearly in the wedding band section. Not many of them caught my eye.

Except for one.

"That one!" I said along with Charlie in sync, pointing at the same ring. We both looked at each other and awkwardly chuckled before looking back at it.

"These rings look perfect for the both of you~!" Charlie said while pointing at the gilded wedding rings made of what appear to be solid gold and pink diamonds.

"You like those too, huh?" I chuckled while looking down at them.

"Very. They're so beautiful." She squealed. "But if those rings don't fit your preference, you can keep looking. It's just my own opinion."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Guys usually don't care how the wedding rings will look. So far, this caught my eye just like it did to you too."

"It looks pretty expensive though…"

"Like I said, don't worry about it."

"Maybe if I can help pay for it t-"

"Alright, stop right there." I interrupted her and chuckled. "You really don't have to pitch in for it too. I can't accept money from the Princess of Hell."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "And what if it was an order then?"

"…Janice, these rings. I'll pay for them full price. Just me. Don't listen to her!"

Immediately, Janice saw the rings and added them to the list before I tossed her my debit card to pay quickly before Charlie could intervene.

"That's not fair." Charlie pouted at me.

"Charlie, come on. I know we're friends, but that doesn't mean you have to pitch in to pay for almost everything too. You could do better things with that money, you know?"

"Money isn't really an issue if you're the Princess. It's just a way of giving you my token of appreciation for all the hard work you've been doing in under a week or two. Surely you didn't receive your check yet." She told me.

"Savings got that covered." I told her before I was given my card back.

Janice was already putting in the rings and their boxes into a plastic bag and handing it over to me along with the receipt that was printed out. I put the bag into my small backpack and took a look at the overall costs. I may have said I could handle the payments, but it still was a shock.

"You could've at least got a cheaper engagement ring, then an expensive set of wedding rings to save more." She recommended.

"$30,000. I could've bought a new car with tha-…DON'T even think about it." I looked back at Charlie, who was pulling out her phone, which I could see in the search bar looking up a marketplace for cars.

"Do you two spoil each other this much?" Janice snickered. "I swear. If you two weren't taken, I could've mistaken you both as a couple."

Before Charlie and I could respond, there was a sudden alarm heard from outside of the store. It didn't sound like a police or any other emergency response vehicle passing by. It was pretty distant yet loud enough for all of us to hear under our conversations and the television in the background. However, as a few seconds passed, I caught the pattern of the siren and froze before slowly turning my head to Charlie and Janice.

"You hear that?" Janice asked as she looked out the window before opening it. "It's not something I've never heard before."

Charlie, clearly concerned, turned over to me for answers. "What does that mean?"

My heart dropped as I immediately knew what that means. "Air raid siren…"

"What?! Who's attacking?!"

"I don't know. But close the windows and lock your doors! Find the best cover that you have inside and stay there until the sirens stop!"

"Colonel! The TV!" Charlie called out as she pointed at the screen, no longer showing that sappy romance movie.

It was Hell's Emergency Broadcast System.

"We interrupt your broadcast with an incoming message from the Chairman of the Kingdom of Hell's Royal Armed Forces. This is NOT a test. At 0800 hours, unknown aircraft have penetrated the Kingdom's airspace from the north of the main continent of Pentagram City. Emergency squadrons have already been dispatched to intercept and have confirmed these unknowns are considered hostile.

All humans from the United States Department of State and Department of Defense are to regroup and seek shelter in the US Embassy in Central Star, Pentagram City.

All Angels from the Kingdom of Heaven, you are to rally and seek shelter in the Heaven Embassy beneath the Exorcism Clocktower located in Central Star, Pentagram City.

All Hellborn and Sinner civilians of all classes are to seek shelter in their homes or the buildings they are currently within.

All personnel of the Royal Armed Forces are to immediately do the following: Locate and move to your nearest military installation to await further orders. Or you will be contacted by your commanding officer to be briefed and receive them.

Stay tuned for more updates on this current broadcast for further information and additional details until this emergency has been concluded."

Charlie, who was clearly in distress already at the imminent attack, looked up at me and asked, "What do we do now?"

Since it was my job to protect her, I looked outside the window to check out what was going on. Central Star was now starting to become chaotic as citizens were rushing for shelter while the military police on the ground were trying to put things in order to help all of them.

I looked at Charlie and nodded. "We can't stay here. Here's what we'll do. Link with my arm, don't let go, and try to keep up. If you don't, you could get lost in the crowd and it'll make your extract harder."

"…o-okay…?" Charlie was a bit embarrassed at that idea, but realized it was for her safety and shook the awkwardness off.

"Janice, close the store and get into cover. If people need some shelter, don't hold too much of them." I told the store owner.

She nodded and switched off the "Open!" sign before shutting the blades. "Alrighty. Your Highness, Colonel, be careful out there."

"You too." Charlie said while I nodded.

Before I opened the door, I linked my arm with Charlie's tightly and soon led her outside to the crowded sidewalk to my car that was parked across the street. It was a hassle, since the crowd was starting to rush even more due to panic of hearing an allied fighter squadron passing overhead. I made sure to also grip my pistol on my holster to not only make sure it doesn't get taken. But to remain cautious if there was any danger in the crowd.

After a minute, which felt longer than I thought, we reached my car as I opened the door to the passenger seat for Charlie. I ran over to the driver's seat after making sure she was inside and started the car before carefully getting out of the parallel parking space. Leaving Central Star was the hardest part since the streets itself was busy with both civilian and military vehicles. But after passing the Heaven Embassy/Clocktower and the US Embassy of Hell, it was smooth sailing from there as I turned to enter the ramp up to the freeway.

With the front mostly clear, I turned over to Charlie to check up on her. "You okay, Charlie?"

She was clearly troubled after seeing her people in that state of panic. "I-I'll be fine. Just need to take a breather."

*BOOM!*

The sound and shockwave of an explosion hit the car and both of us. Looking at the rear-view mirror, both of us saw the explosion happened somewhere in Central Star - which was the section of Pentagram City we were at earlier. Now, my head couldn't shake off the fear of having civilian casualties.

"This is "Whiplash", reporting from the US Embassy. Explosion in Arcane Lane, Central Star! Enemy aircraft munitions!"

"All stations on this net. We have multiple casualties. Both civilian and military. We need emergency response teams!"

"Standby. Roads are too crowded here. ETA: 6 minutes."

"Not good enough! FUCK! Hey! You! Tourniquet! This man needs it fast!"

"What the hell are our anti-aerial defenses doing?! We need those bandits away from the airspace! Keep them away from the Heaven and US Embassies too!"

My phone was already going off with military frequencies relaying the horrible situation. This only made Charlie even more tense and uncomfortable. It was then I began to receive a phone call from Major General Damiens, which I immediately answered to both make the radio stop and contact him during this emergency.

"Alpha. This is Glory Hound." I responded to the radio.

"Colonel Adler. Report back to Hazbin Hotel immediately! Get the Princess to safety!" Major General Damiens ordered.

"Why the hotel? Isn't the palace a safer option?"

"The Morningstar Palace is under attack!" Damiens said while I could hear some explosions from his side of the call. "The hotel is your best bet. Get her there, and make sure she's secure. Vermilion Squad and Fireteam Shinobi will be there to accompany you."

"Roger. Already en route." I replied while I switched lanes to exit the freeway. "Stay safe, General."

"You too, Colonel. Advise you to brief the residents of the hotel too. If you can."

"Got it. Charlie and I will work on it. Out."

As soon as I hung up, the sound of jet engines suddenly passed by close overhead, startling Charlie and putting me in high alert to see which craft it was. It clearly didn't belong to the Royal Air/Aerospace Force of Hell as it was a plane not in our inventory. Not even in the aviation branches for the Army, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard.

"Fast air! That isn't ours!" I warned.

Charlie looked at me with an uneasy expression and asked, "What does that mean? Enemy? Or it's ours and not here to help us?"

Then I realized he was circling back around, nose pointing towards us.

"Hope your seatbelt is fastened tightly." I told Charlie.

"Why?!"

I hit the gas harshly and began to precisely turn the wheel carefully in order to turn while maintaining control. That was when the strafe barely missed us from the road as the enemy aircraft buzzed out its guns.

"Oh God! OH MY GOD!" Charlie panted while tightly gripping the overhead handle and the armrest center console.

In situations like this, I felt bad for her. Lucifer said she can handle herself in fighting. But when it comes to combat situations such as these, it's probably overwhelming for her to handle. Especially facing military hardware. "Relax. You'll be fine." I told her with a smile to lighten the situation. "Grab my phone and press the side button in this beat." I said before tapping the center console to a beat of a US Marine Corps cadence.

Charlie accomplished that pretty nicely as my screen displayed military frequencies. "I got it!"

"Thank you!" I took the phone from her and contacted all available friendly channels. "Any stations! This is Glory Hound! Attack enemy aircraft overhead near Evelyn Star at Interstate 666! I have Princess Charlie Morningstar onboard! Requesting immediate assistance!"

"Look out!" Charlie shouted while looking behind her.

I saw the plane coming back from the rear-view mirror as I kept my foot on the gas and dodged yet another gun run. Fortunately, the run was shorter than last time. The reason being is because the enemy craft made a sharp pull and dropped flares, only for it to suddenly explode and seeing the smoke trails of a heatseeking missile. My request was answered as an allied HF-12 "Hell Bird" passed overhead. A twin-engine jet that was equivalent to a fifth-generation fighter; our third most produced aircraft.

"Colonel Adler. This is Lieutenant General Bailey. Callsign: Watchtower. Say your status."

"Glory Hound confirms. Thanks for the assist. Taking the fight directly to them, sir?" I asked while I saw his fighter jet bank left.

"After what happened a few days ago? I am not going to sit this one out." Watchtower said while a flight of two formed up with him. "AA defenses have recently been activated due to some technical problems. But proceed with caution down the freeway if any bandits get a beat on you."

"Acknowledged."

"Major General Damiens has already notified me that the Princess is onboard your vehicle before your relay. Advise you address to her by a callsign just in case these guys breach our frequency to identify her." Watchtower suggested.

I looked over at Charlie and began to scan her while coming up with a callsign for her. She just sat there awkwardly, staring back at me after a few seconds until I came up with one. "Affirmative. Callsign: Lotus is onboard proceeding towards Hazbin Hotel."

"Copy. Relaying information and updating IFF."

Charlie tilted her head and asked, "Lotus? Where did you get that from?"

"Your color schemes." I answered simply. "Reminds me of one of the lotus flowers on Earth."

"Aww~! How sweet~!" Charlie giggled.

"Anyway, just keep your head down. We're almost off the freeway." I told her while taking the far-right lane. "Watchtower. We're exiting the freeway. Good hunting. Hotel is two clicks out."

"Copy, Glory Hound. Out."

Taking the exit, I quickly turned right once again to take the main road towards the hotel, which was seen in the distance. Luckily, the roads were not busy with other cars or pedestrians due to the emergency broadcast relaying the message to have everyone stay inside. All that we had to worry about was the furball happening up above while smoke trails and contrails from both allied and hostile aircraft covered the sky. Charlie seemed to be a bit uneasy yet in awe at the battle, since she has most likely never seen anything like this in person. But it was blocked as soon as we reached the driveway and parked under the overhead cover in front of the hotel.

I got out the car as she did the same while keeping her head down just in case some debris fell on top of us. Before heading in, I went to the trunk of my car and pulled out one of my compact rifles and putting on my vest and harness with gear and mags. As soon as we reached the inside and I shut the door, Charlie was immediately welcomed by Vaggie embracing her tightly. Clearly relieved that she made it back in one piece.

"Charlie! Are you okay?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Vaggie asked while cupping her cheeks and examining her head for any injuries.

"I-I'm fine! Really! Colonel Adler got me here safely." She replied while glancing over at me.

"That's good. Thanks." Vaggie told me.

I looked around and lowered my rifle. "Where is everyone?"

"The bar. Follow me."

A yawn was heard on the couch near the entrance, which turned out to be that spider pornstar. Somehow, he was taking a nap in a situation like this. "The Hell is going on out there? Another peaceful protest?" Angel Dust joked while hearing the air battle outside.

"We're all heading to the bar. Come on. I'll fill you in." I replied.

"Fill me in, huh? Kinky~! You want to be top or bottom, doggie~?" He grinned jokingly.

"Get up, buddy." I sighed and pulled him with one of his arms to the bar.

"Alrighty! Top it is!"

As we made our way to the entryway to the hotel bar, Melodie was already standing there with her phone. She looked up at us and noticed me before turning over to the bar where Vermilion Squad and Fireteam Shinobi were present with the hotel staff. The only ones who weren't present were Alastor and Marcela.

"Colonel Adler on deck!" Melodie shouted to get their attention.

Upon hearing that, all WarDogs turned their attention towards me and saluted as I had the highest military rank out of everyone.

I saluted back and slightly nodded my head. "At ease." I said before lowering my arm as they did the same. "Where's Alastor and Marcela?"

"Alastor is in his station talking about what's happening. Cold bastard…" Vaggie rolled her visible eye, "As for your girlfriend, she left the hotel a few minutes before the emergency broadcast. Something about new orders."

"Anybody else inside the hotel that decided to seek shelter?"

With great timing, two demons were walking down the stairs from the second deck while arguing with each other. One was a female cyclops demon with freckles and a ponytail while the other was a male snake-like demon with a top hat and a formal outfit. At first I thought they were a threat since I had no idea who they were. But due to everyone else not drawing their weapons at them, I guess they weren't.

"Who are these two? New guests?" I asked while I watched the two of them reach the ground floor.

"Oh…right. Colonel, don't worry about those two." Charlie said as she waved her hands to ease him and the WarDogs.

Angel Dust nodded and went over to the cyclops and high-fived her. "Yeah. This is the sister I never had, Cherri Bomb. And that right there is Sir Penis."

"Sir Pentious!" He corrected while snarling at Angel Dust.

"What's the difference, since you're kind of a dick anyway~!" Angel Dust laughed.

Cherri Bomb snickered and nudged him playfully. "I'm sure you would know."

"Hey, I am what I eat."

"You're dissssgusting." Sir Pentious cringed and took a few steps away from the two. Mostly because of Angel Dust.

"Hey," Husk called out, "don't you think we have better shit to talk about? Especially with a warzone outside the damn place?"

I cleared my throat and crossed my arms with the rest of everybody listening. But not as deeply invested as Niffty, who was just watching me dreamily and waiting for me to start briefing. But I digress. Pulling out my phone to show them something I received on the way in, I looked up.

"Alright. I'm sure all of you have seen and listened to the emergency broadcast earlier. So, I'll just get straight to the point for our plan."

Edgar, Vermilion 4 raised his hand. "Permission to speak, sir?"

"Go ahead."

"Why the hell is Ioudas attacking?! I thought we were in a truce!"

"Glad you asked early. Basically, it isn't under his control. These are insurgents. Tail codes don't match the Principality's Air Force. Plus, the airframe from one of the attackers didn't match any configuration from their Air Defense Force. I saw firsthand." I answered while lifting up my phone to play an audio message from Chairman General Calinao. "Take a listen."

"Ioudas officially stated that he intervened as many rebels as he could over his territory. But as soon as they crossed the boundary, he said we're going to have to deal with them ourselves due to the Treaty of Pyre stopping him from coming to our Kingdom." Calinao stated.

"So, we're wiping somebody else's ass?" Quaid asked.

"Seems that way." Raizo shook his head. "Look on the bright side. We're not dealing with Ioudas himself. Otherwise, this city is going to turn into a crater like that day…"

"What? The atomic bombs the Japs got after the war?" Angel Dust asked, revealing he was somehow not informed of the "Day of the Ashes" event.

"Wrong day." Raizo shook his head.

Putting my phone away, I went back to explaining the plan. "As of right now, I want Hazbin Hotel locked down. No way in or out. Anyone, friend or foe, will answer to me."

Niffty giggled quietly. "I'll be good, bad boy~…"

"Shinobi 3 and 4." I called as the two snipers next to Ozren stepped forward. "Provide overwatch at the top of this hotel. Notify back to me if any sort of enemy presence is near. You'll never know if it'll be downed pilots, or paratroopers if they're trying to attack the city directly."

"Yes, sir!" They both clenched their WarDog collars before quickly making their way out of the bar and up the stairs.

"Commander Ayase Kiritani?" I looked over at Shinobi 1/Actual.

Ayase was dressed almost like Ozren and the other Shinobis, but with different gear and having a wakizashi blade on her left hip, similar to Raizo having a katana. Speaking of which, she was indeed Japanese due to the small flag and the emblem of the JMSDF (Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force) beneath the chest plate. Something sinner WarDogs usually do to represent their old affiliation and unit. For looks, she had a dull pink bob cut with the right side braided with a ponytail to prevent her hair from covering her right eye for scopes, violet eyes, her horns trimmed shorter, and a demon tail.

"Correct, sir." She saluted since she was one rank below me. (A/N: Commander in the Navy is equivalent to a Lt. Colonel in the Army)

"Alright. I'm going to need you and Shinobi 2 to stay mid-level in assisting for sniper support. Gotta keep you guys spread out and watch the entire perimeter."

"Understood." Ayase nodded and looked over at Ozren. "Let's get going, Oz."

"Right behind you, Aya." Ozren nodded back and followed her lead.

I looked over at the two "guests" of the hotel. "Normally, I wouldn't ask for civilians to assist on defending this building. But can any of you fight?"

"Not without my henchmen…" Sir Pentious said while sheepishly turning away.

Cherri Bomb chuckled and juggled some bombs. "Hey, if you need a lady that is good with explosives, I'm your gal."

"Alright." I turned to Angel Dust next. "Can you-"

"Course I can~!" He answered immediately while lifting up a Thompson submachine gun with a drum mag.

But judging by how he was handling that gun (no trigger or muzzle discipline), I had some doubts. Reluctantly, I let him pass. "Okay. Just follow my lead and do NOT do anything reckless."

"I'll be good, doggie~!"

"Niffty?"

Immediately, Niffty leaped towards me and grinned excitedly while holding an unusually large butcher knife. "When any intruder gets inside, I'll be sure to stick it where it hurts~!"

"Alright then…" I chuckled dryly at her excitement for blood. "I have faith in you."

"EEEEK~!" She squealed from my words, as I expected before running around the lobby to be on security.

"And Husk?"

"I know." Husk took out a set of cards that were clearly sharpened. "Protect the bar with my life."

I chuckled as he chose the bar more than the whole hotel itself. "Priorities. And Vaggie, keep an eye on Charlie…No pun intended….I know you're not going to let any harm come to her."

Vaggie twirled a spear around and stood in front of Charlie. "Always."

"Vermilion Squad," I looked at the last group, "provide full security around the hotel. Remain interior and notify me and the others when you have confirmation of contact. Oorah?"

"Oorah!" All six of them called while saluting.

"Shinobi in position. What's the R.O.E?" Ayase asked over the comms.

"Defensive. Cutthroat. Let's get this done, WarDogs."

"WOOF!" We all said the WarDog battle cry in sync both here and on radio.

Niffty sighed dreamily. "He's so cool when he's leading~…"

"Shouldn't you be on patrol?" Husk reminded.

"Shinobi 3! Contact! South!" The radio relayed.

"Roger. VID on threat?" I asked while walking towards the front door to check if it was locked. Making sure to stay out of the fatal funnel, I added the additional locks and ran back to the others.

"Multiple contacts! RPGs! GET COVER!"

Suddenly, an explosion from the second deck went off as debris and dust blasted around the interior. Everyone felt the shockwave and the building shiver as the hotel staff fell to the floor. Niffty was in the center near the bottom of the ledge, where I saw one of the long tables about to fall on top of her. I dashed, grabbed, and pulled her away from the spot in my arms, where the table finally impacted the floor. If she was there a second longer, she would've been killed.

I looked up at Niffty and sighed in relief as she had no other injuries. "You okay?"

"My hero~!" She squealed. "My military bad boy hero~!"

Cherri Bomb couldn't help but snicker. "They weren't kidding about her being a sucker for you."

I shrugged and helped Niffty on her feet. "You can thank me later." I said while looking up to assess the damage, where a good chunk of the wall upstairs was not gone. "Shinobi Actual! Say status!"

"Alrighty engaging! Multiple hostiles stationed at the tree line! They're not advancing, but they're shooting back at my Fireteam!" Ayase replied.

"Roger. Keep up the fire." I said while running up the stairs. I looked back at Raizo and his team and called them up. "Vermilion! Up the stairs! Return fire! Gurkha (Edgar/Vermilion 4), claymore at the entrance!"

"On it!" Edgar quickly went to the front door to set up a claymore while the rest of his team followed me.

"Husk. Keep an eye on the gear downstairs. If they somehow reach the front door, use this." I tossed him one of my spare pistols that had a mag loaded, but none in the chamber.

"My pleasure!" Husk grinned as he was already liking the feeling of holding a pistol and his sharp cards.

Upon reaching the second deck, I peeked out of the broken wall and saw small arm muzzle flashes and a hint of movement from the tree line. I zeroed in my rifle and began to fire some shots at the enemy contact. Next to me, Raizo and Melodie began to return fire with me while Derrick and Edgar began to set up their spots for LMG suppression and marksman cover with Fireteam Shinobi. Jorge and Quaid on the other hand were leading and giving directions for Chalie and the others to come upstairs while keeping their heads down.

Quaid looked at Sir Pentious and pointed at him. "Hey! You! You said you can fight, right?"

Sir Pentious gulped and bit his lip while holding onto his top hat tightly. "Well…kind of…?"

"Good. Take this and fire back until our gunner and marksman are done setting up!" He said while giving a spare bullpup PDW from his backpack.

Having no choice but to hold it, since it was pushed to him, Sir Pentious was flabbergasted. "W-Wait, what?! I'm not even qualified to use a gun!" He said while shaking nervously.

"Oh, quit being a pussy and start shooting back! They're trying to kill us!" Cherri Bomb said before tossing an explosive surprisingly pretty far.

"Come on, buddy~! Like this~!" Angel Dust said while giving a bad example by firing from the hip.

Before I could intervene to properly teach him how to fire it, Sir Pentious went down to cover and began to blind fire. Something you REALLY shouldn't do in combat while in a populated environment. For safety reasons.

"Two out of the three of them aren't going to do shit…" Melodie sighed at their performance.

"More for us then~!" Jorge loaded another drum of 40mm grenades on his launcher. "Жрать осколки! (Eat some shrapnel!)" He shouted in Russian before firing a barrage.

Niffty excitedly stared at him and asked, "Can I try?!"

Charlie bit her lip and patted her shoulder. "Niffty, I don't think you sh-"

"Go ahead! I got enough shots than a cheap bar in Khabarovsk!" Jorge joked while handing over his grenade launcher to her.

Immediately, Niffty began to fire in all directions in front of her, resulting in some chaotic mayhem across the field. Her attacks were so effective, it began to make the enemy frontline fall back to avoid more rounds.

"Why are cyclops demons the craziest ones…?" Sir Pentious sighed while watching Niffty bloodthirstily continue to shoot while Jorge was laughing maniacally at the sight of the insurgents getting blown to bits.

Cherri Bomb chuckled and smirked. "It is what it is~!"

He rolled his eyes. "Not much of a good answer there."

"Take it easy on the 40 mike-mike. All the dust isn't giving us good visibility." Ayase said over the radio.

"Copy. Detaining fire." Jorge replied and took the grenade launcher away from Niffty. "Sorry, little lady. Another time."

"It was fun while it lasted~!" Niffty complied and chuckled.

"Hope it was worth it because we're not going to have fun with what's coming…" Ozren warned over the radio.

It didn't take long for us to spot what he was talking about. Behind the tree line, barely visible was a much bigger contact that was armored and having its turret slowly move towards us. Then, it fired as the hotel received a hit from a 125mm shot. The entire building shook as dust and debris fell off and hit the ground below. Charlie looked around the interior as she was clearly concerned that her building was getting damaged.

Niffty growled. "Damn it! I REALLY want to clean all of this up!"

"A fucking tank?! Are you shitting me?!" Edgar growled.

"How the Hell did they get a tank over here?!" Cherri Bomb asked. "Even if we can reach it, my explosives and your grenades aren't even going to dent that thing!"

"Must've came down here during the airdrop." I guessed. "Radio! Got anything?"

"I got it!" Jorge stood up and took out the shoulder-fired launcher he carried on his back. "Back blast clear?!"

Raizo gave a thumbs up. "Cleared! Light that fucking thing!"

With that, all the hotel staff near him covered their ears and shut their eyes in time before Jorge fired the rocket, leaving some smoke. A loud explosion was heard from the distance, which was assumed to be the tank getting destroyed. Unfortunately, we saw the top of the turret still moving. Turns out it had a protection system, which was very uncommon for an insurgent force to have.

"Shit! Rocket intercepted!" Jorge cursed while tossing down the launcher.

"You're out of rockets?!" Vaggie asked.

"That was the only disposable launcher I had with me!"

I fired my last few shots in my mag before getting behind cover again and looking at Jorge. "Call in some air support. Our flyboys up there have to at least have one flight open."

Jorge nodded and switched on his radio to contact on all friendly channels available. "Any stations! This is Vermilion 5! We have one heavy armored vehicle with attached infantry outside of Hazbin Hotel from the south! Requesting any element available to provide air support."

…

"Vermilion 5. This is Watchtower. Flight of three HF-12 Hell Birds at Angels 10. On station for close air support. Holo-Ordinance follows: 11 Thistles (AGM), 7 Heretics (AGM), 15 Bolts (AAM), 800 rounds per craft. Ready for tasking."

"Is that Lieutenant General Bailey? God damn. Didn't expect him to be our air support." Melodie chuckled.

"Sometimes, there are still Generals in our military that don't want to miss out on combat." Raizo smiled up at the formation above.

"Watchtower. Vermilion 5. Friendlies interior of the hotel. Contact from our south. 150 meters. One heavy armor and approximately more than four dozen enemy foot mobiles. Priority target is the armored unit. Grid: 269831. Danger Close. Request Heretic splash. How copy?" Jorge relayed information to the pilots.

"Watchtower copies. One heavy armor; priority target, four dozen enemy foot mobiles, 150 meters south of Hazbin Hotel. Grid: 269831. Danger close. Heretic authorized. Mark IR laser."

Jorge took out the laser device he had for these circumstances and aimed it through a hole at the tank, partially seen in the tree line. "Laser armed. Call contact."

"Contact. Watchtower and Sorcerer inbound." Sorcerer 1-4 relayed.

"Watchtower. Leveled." Watchtower noted.

"Watchtower. You're cleared hot."

"Rifle! TOT five seconds!"

"Tits and balls to the ground, folks!" Derrick shouted while still providing suppressive fire.

The hotel staff covered their ears and stayed down while peeking outside through any small opening. Five seconds…

*BOOM!*

An eruption of smoke and dust blasted up from the ground into the air. The only thing powerful enough to top the view was the shockwave, which we all felt inside of our bodies. Before they realized, the small arms fire was temporarily reduced due to the missile neutralizing a good chunk of infantry.

"HOLY SHIT!" Cherri Bomb and Angel Dust shouted in sync while staring in awe.

"Direct." Ozren relayed over the radio that the missile hit its intended target.

"Watchtower. BDA: 90 over 100. Target destroyed. Good shot." I notified before providing fire once enemy infantry started opening fire again. "Sorcerer 1-4. 1-5. Enemy foot mobiles are all that remains. Requesting strafe run at the tree line. You're cleared hot." I relayed over the radio.

"1-4 copies. Wings level. Ten seconds."

Knowing another pass was coming, everyone prepared themselves the same way while looking outside when the gunfire was toned down enough. Eight seconds later, dust and small explosive flashes erupted from the tree line for a good three seconds before the gun buzz and roar of jet engines passed by the hotel. I could tell everyone felt everything to our core.

"GET SOME!" Quaid cheered.

"1-5. Rollin' in."

"Sorcerer 1-5. You're cleared hot."

"Here we go again." Charlie bit her lip.

Derrick chuckled and loaded up a new box of ammo to his LMG. "You'll start to love it overtime, Princess."

"So far, I'm not." Charlie said while covering her ears.

Vaggie chuckled while hugging her girlfriend with one arm to comfort her. "It's still an impressive sight though."

With another burst of rounds coming from our air support, the enemy fired started to cease. But after around ten seconds, we started not to get any direct fire from the tree line anymore. I checked my current mag and the rest and count at least sixty-nine rounds left. With my ammo running dry, I could only assume the others were running low too, which made me call contact on the radio to state our situation.

"Glory Hound to all stations. Any available ground element near Hazbin Hotel? All I have is Fireteam Shinobi, Vermilion Squad, and the hotel staff members and guests taking up arms. Ammunition is running dry. Lotus is still interior." I relayed the information.

Fortunately, I received an answer right away. "Colonel Adler. This is Brigadier General Durant. Nearest QRF (Quick Reaction Force) unit is fifteen clicks away. Their route isn't exactly making things easier for them with those air units harassing them. But we do have one ODH-5 Zephyr near your location fresh from Merrick Air Base to provide support."

"Solid copy. Thanks, sir."

"No problem. ETA: One mike. QRF will remain on its way. Just hang in there. Out."

"Shinobi Actual. I have visual on the Zephyr northwest of the hotel. There's some smoke coming out of his engine…" Ayase notified me from the midlevel of the hotel.

"Shit…" I cursed and went back to the radio. "Allied Zephyr approaching Hazbin Hotel. State your callsign and SitRep on your bird, over."

Some coughing was heard on the other side of comms, but a response was later delivered. "This is Nomad 2-1…received minor damage on the bird. I'm…*cough*…I'm in no condition to fight…Received some shrapnel from that missile…Bleeding…Left leg…"

"Ten-four, Nomad 2-1. Be advised. Hotel is still under threat from enemy foot mobiles from our south. Recommend you land northside and we'll have our corpsman treat your wounds." I replied.

"Copy…thank you, sir…"

I loaded a new full mag to my rifle and looked over at the group. "Alright. Patchy (Quaid/Vermilion 6), Mongrel, (Melodie/Vermilion 2), Grind (Derrick/Vermilion 3), Angel Dust, accompany me downstairs to the back. We're getting the pilot inside."

"What about our air ssssupport?! Are we just left here to pray or something?!" Sir Pentious asked, clearly shaken.

"We'll figure something out. The rest of you, stay here. Razor (Raizo/Vermilion 1), watch over the Princess along with the other hotel staff and guests." I ordered Raizo as he nodded and kept his eyes at the tree line with Edgar and Jorge.

Getting up and leading my group down the stairs and to the backdoor, I took point to make sure it was all clear while taking some cover behind the statues and stone fences. We weren't receiving any incoming fire, but the WarDogs with me followed with the 360-degree perimeter check to make sure there were no signs of an ambush. As for Angel Dust, as expected who didn't have military experience, was just walking in the middle while casually holding his submachine gun on his shoulder.

Above was the ODH-5 Zephyr, a single seat attack helicopter with Hell's Royal Air/Aerospace Force roundel on the tailfin. But the damage was a lot clearer. Overall, it could still fly. But not looking cleanly. It landed successfully as the pilot opened the canopy, revealing he was bleeding from the left leg while he was holding onto anything to support him from standing.

"You okay?" I asked while heading over to the cockpit.

"Negative." The pilot coughed as he tried to carefully get off the helicopter but fell off and hit the ground hard.

"Corpsman!" I called Quaid over as he immediately ran over to the pilot with his medical gear.

"Grind! Help me get him inside!" Quaid called over Derrick as he ran over to with the portable stretcher for the wounded pilot.

With the two of them carrying him inside, it was just me along with Melodie and Angel Dust outside examining the helicopter. But then I received an alarming call from Lieutenant General Bailey over comms.

"Glory Hound. Be advised. UAV overflight details you got another column of enemy airdropped light armor with attached infantry. Air support is unavailable at this time due to increase enemy aerial presence on the northside. Advise you evacuate Hazbin Hotel and extract Princess Charlie out of there." Watchtower recommended.

"Where the hell are these insurgents getting this much hardware?" Ayase asked, curious yet with small hint of annoyance in her tone.

"We'll look into that later, Commander. Right now, we focus on getting rid of these guys."

I looked inside and outside of the attack helicopter and saw the overall damage was minimal, holo-ordinance pods seemed to be working fine, and the cockpit displays were functioning properly. This gave me an idea.

"Air support isn't available? You're talking to one. I'll fly overhead and protect the hotel." I volunteered.

"You can fly a fucking helicopter?!" Angel Dust asked.

"Pilot training is mandatory for the WarDogs. I'm not an expert on a slick, but effective enough to do the job."

"If you say so, doggie." Angel Dust shrugged, but suddenly jolted and ducked as soon as an explosive went off behind him. "FUCK! Okay, heading back inside!" He said before dashing in.

Melodie went on the radio to notify, "Mortars! Get to cover! Colonel, get in that thing! I'll watch your six!"

Without hesitating, I hopped onboard the helicopter and noticed something strange about the loadout. It wasn't out of place, but more uncommon than usual. Because the arsenal contained…

"Angelic arsenal?" I pointed out puzzledly.

Melodie looked back after emptying her magazine. Examining the helicopter and noticing the Heaven-made weaponry mixed with Hell's arsenal. "Odd loadout. But hey, it'll get the job done."

"Yeah. But just the missiles. ARCH-60 Astrals, to be specific." I mentioned the laser-guided missiles while I started the helicopter and double-checked the panel and everything, as usual procedures from my training.

"Identification processed. Welcome, Colonel Adler." The security AI acknowledged and opened its controls and arsenal to me.

"This is going to be fun." I grinned while I shut the canopy before putting on the headset.

"Save some for the rest of us though." Melodie winked before running back inside.

Universe Trivia

Uses of magic and augmentations have been reported in the WarDogs.

Magic Capabilities usually depends on the individual WarDog who is able to use them. Whether it's pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, telekinesis, and other spellcasting, magic isn't uncommon in some instances during WarDog or even military deployments across the Kingdom of Hell and the Kingdom of Heaven. However, the use of magic is stricter when it comes to operations in assisting Earth's countries in their realm.

Bodily Augmentations are usually mandatory and administered to WarDogs in order to increase their efficiency for defensive and offensive purposes; or being able to detain greater demons when given the circumstances. However, if a WarDog has reached Warrant Officer and above, they have access to be given better augmentations and even cybernetics. The latter usually being when injured beyond repair.

One example is Lt. Commander Mylozsky having his spine surgically reinforced with material and technology that increases his strength to handle heavy weapons. Especially his anti-materiel rifle. It is also magnetic to allow him to holster weapons on his back without a sling.

(Fun Fact: Sir Pentious, Cherri Bomb, and Lieutenant General Bailey's positions were supposed to be spots for users who submitted their OCs for this story back in Chapter 7. But no submissions were given. In the end, I think they fit fine in this situation lol!

As for why this chapter took a while, pretty much worked on three drawings for this chapter and posted them on AO3/Archive of our Own. One of Morgan, Melodie, and Raizo; the other being Niffty firing a grenade launcher with Jorge and Derrick; and the last one on what the HF-12 Hell Birds look like.

Now, for the next chapter….oh boy…)

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