I emptied my magazine and watched as the blonde gatling gunner fell. In response, her fellow gunner's shots ripped up the concrete corner of the alleyway I was taking cover behind and forced me back. Not quite fast enough as I felt a dull impact against my chest, but no pain yet as my armour held. Safely out of danger again, I fished out another stripper clip of ammo and slammed it into the magazine of my rifle. Next to me, Chinatsu kept an eagle eye on the other girls in the open street, looking for any signs of injury. Even further back was Rin, keeping an eye on reports from various GSC sources.

"Ms. Hayase," I said, voice even and calm as I spoke into the earbud I had been given, "At my mark, suppress the enemy squad. Ms. Morizuki, after they have been pinned, bombard them. Ms. Hanekawa, finish off anyone still standing."

"You don't have to tell me that!"

"Roger!"

"Understood."

I leaned out of the entrance, shouldering my rifle as the last pair of the thugs with SMGs attempted to fall back under the cover of their last redheaded gatling gunner. I stilled my body, calling upon the experience of every marine ever on board as the two groups drew closer. I lined the sights up and, as the two groups met, I squeezed the trigger.

The rifle in my hands thundered and the ammo belt of the gatling gun shattered. The three thugs all stared in shock at the broken weapon even as I cried out "Mark!". At the shout, Yuuka surged out from behind the car she was hiding behind with Suzumi. She punched something into her calculator before glowing blue fields immediately surrounded her. The thugs tried to suppress her with their own fire, only for the bullets to bounce off the barrier. In response she sprayed the group with her twin SMGs. With the grounding effect of their heavy weapon gone, the hail of bullets forced the group to dive for the closest cover: a reinforced road barrier.

Unfortunately, lack of proper training and panic meant they allowed themselves to be shepherded towards the same cover as a group. The fire kept them pinned long enough for Suzumi to produce a stun bomb and, with perfect precision, she arced the device over her cover, over the thug's cover, and into the middle of the group. I could see all three thugs look down in horror at the weapon before it detonated, filling the street with a loud pop and blinding flash.

Forewarned as we were, we had looked away as it detonated but the effects were immediately apparent. Both thugs with SMGs were lying on the ground unconscious while the gatling gunner was dazed. To her credit, she didn't break. Instead, she snarled a fierce "You'll pay for that!" and let her instincts take over. She stood out of the cover with her weapon at her hip, ready to mow down Yuuka as the purple haired girl reloaded. The look on her face when she squeezed the trigger and the weapons broken feed protested with a loud *CLUNK* was almost priceless.

The look she had a second later when Hasumi planted a shot right on her forehead, however, was actually priceless. Without a word, her halo blinked out and the thug slumped into unconsciousness. Silence filled the street before I stepped out, joining the others in checking for any further signs of enemies.

"All clear." I announced. Without prompting, Chinatsu quickly walked out of cover and started looking over the other girls. Rin, meanwhile, took her time to come out of the cover, distracted as she was by the information flowing in on her tablet.

Suzumi nodded in agreement, lowering her rifle and relaxing. "I don't see any signs of other enemies."

"Finally!" Yuuka cried out, sitting down on what was left of a bench, "I've never seen so many thugs as we have in the last few blocks."

"The battles have been much easier than I expected them to be." Suzumi admitted as she began tying up the unconscious thugs. I watched her produce zipties from nowhere as she methodically removed any contraband or items which could help us.

"I know, right?" Yuuka agreed, already starting to relax in the moment of respite that we had.

Hasumi finally made her way over from her cover at the back of the group, a faint smile on her face. "We were able to fight much more efficiently thanks to Sensei's commands."

"Please," I replied, waving off the praise and literally waving off Chinatsu's attempts to examine me, "while I have experience with command, you must hold yourself highly as well. You have all exceeded my expectations in your coordination despite only having met today."

Yuuka blushed at the praise. She must not get a lot of it if something as benign as that was enough to embarrass her. She coughed into her hand, before looking back at me. "This must be why the General Student Council holds you in such regard. You might be a bit weird but the President had good reasons for choosing you."

Hasumi and Yuuka descended into casual conversation as Chinatsu left me to examine the two. Leaving the three to their own devices, I made my way over to Suzumi. The one-winged girl had just finished tying up the last group of thugs as I approached. She looked up at the sound of my footsteps and gave me a small smile as I drew closer. "How can I help you, Sensei?"

"I just wish to check something."

She hummed and motioned for me to go ahead and I walked over to the blonde gunner from earlier. While there was no blood on her body, I could see the scuff marks from where I hit her. A full magazine of five shots, all five slamming into her torso and she had shrugged off all but the last of it. I looked back over to where Hasumi was sitting, waiting for Chinatsu to finish applying a patch to a cut on her leg. Embellishments aside, the rifle she held in her hands didn't seem that much different from mine but, at the same time, mine seemed significantly less effective against the Students.

A glance at where the shattered gatling gun laid, however, confirmed it was not that firearm or ammo that was the problem. A well-placed shot still managed to damage the large weapon and I had seen my rifle punch through cover as well. There was just something inherent to the Students which made my weapons less effective against them. Was it my lack of a Halo?

"Nelson-sensei," Suzumi's voice from behind me roused me from my musings, "do you need Chinatsu to look over you?"

I turned to give Suzumi a look. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you got hit during the fight earlier." The one-winged girl said as she shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other.

Right, that had happened. I gave her a warm smile before shaking my head, patting the spot on my chest where the round had hit. There was a slight burn on my uniform, more visible than the marks left by me against the thug, but still minor. "Thank you for your concern, but I am quite fine. Barely felt it."

While I was decidedly more bullet proof than the average unpowered human, I was still not quite as tough as even these thugs. I got a sense that this would not be the case if I could summon my combat rigging but, sadly, that was a test we couldn't try right now.

"If you're sure." Suzumi assented, even as the concern was clearly visible in her expression.

Before I could say anything else, we were interrupted by Yuuka's exasperated cries. "How much further are we anyways? It feels like we've marched for two hours already!"

"We're close, Millennium." Rin answered, ignoring Yuuka's sputters as the glow of the tablet reflecting off her glasses, "It should be just down the block and around the corner. More importantly, I think I finally figured out who's responsible for this riot."

"Oh? Have you now?" I asked as Suzumi and I walked over to rejoin the group.

Rin nodded as she flipped the tablet around, displaying a mugshot of a girl in a heavily customized black flower print kimono, alongside one of the shortest skirts I've seen thus far. Long flowing black and red hair messily went everywhere atop which sat two black fox ears. Oh, and most eye-catchingly obvious was the fox mask on her face. Casually slung over her shoulders was an elaborately painted bolt action rifle with an affixed bayonet.

As the group of us looked over the leader of the enemy group, Rin continued to speak. "Her name is Kosaka Wakamo. She's the fugitive that escaped the Corrections Bureau after being suspended from the Allied Hyakkiyako Academy. She's a repeat offender, so I'd advise that you don't let your guards down."

I could feel that she was going to be trouble but, if we were lucky, we might just be able to avoid her.

"Thank you for the information, Ms. Nanagami," I said before slinging the rifle over my back and turning to face the rest of the girls. I could see expectation in all their gazes so it would be remiss to fail to meet their expectations. A speech it would be. "Everyone, you have done well thus far but I believe we are about to face the heaviest enemy resistance thus far. I have no doubt you shall all rise to the occasion but keep watch for this mastermind. We shall depart in ten minutes time."

A chorus of acknowledgements answered me as the group visibly relaxed. I could feel we were near the end of this chaos. Despite that, there was a gnawing pit in my heart. A need to do more, to be at the forefront of the fighting. I set it aside. Supporting from the back was for the best. Perhaps I would be able to believe that if I repeated it a few more times.

"So that is the Schale Club Room?" I asked, all six of us peering around the corner and down the street. It was a rather large multi-story skyscraper of white metal and blue glass. A halo, much like the one around the larger Sanctum Tower, hovered above the building. It was quite a nice building even to my limited aesthetic experience. But I had to admit it was grander than I expected when I was told that Schale had a Club Room.

"It is," Rin's answer quashed my sensibilities. "The information was only revealed to me in the President's letters, but I did wonder why she put so much focus on this building."

Suzumi frowned at that admission, displeasure clear in her expression, "That sounds like a frivolous use of Council funds and time."

"It makes sense as a contingency, but how did she know this could happen…" Chinatsu muttered, voicing a question I was curious about myself. Something this size did not appear overnight. It would have taken a few months for renovations alone even if the President purchased a pre-existing building.

Hasumi cut our musing short as she pointed at the more concerning sight in front of the building. "We need to focus on the bigger problems."

The bigger problems being the destroyed defensive works and unconscious Valkyrie officers positioned around the entrance. Some were on the street, others were in the block house, and there was even one on the roof next to a mounted machine gun. Despite the clear signs of fighting, there were no signs of any of the rioters. It was quiet. Suspiciously so.

I motioned for the Students to get back into cover before going over the plan as soon as we were all out of line of sight. "We will form two lines. Ms. Hayase, Morizuki, and Hanekawa will form the forward line of attack and advance from the left side of the street." The three nodded, unslinging and drawing their weapons. "Ms Nanagami, Hinomiya, and myself will form the rear line of support and advance from the right. We must assume there is another ambush in play here. Any questions?"

They responded with a chorus of "No"s. Satisfied, I unslung my own rifle and loaded a round into the chamber. I could see the girls tense before I called out, "First line, full ahead!"

Yuuka, Suzumi, and Hasumi dashed out of cover and crossed the street in seconds. When they were met with silence, I waved at them to continue before motioning for the rest of my line to follow. I advanced around the corner as Chinatsu and Rin fell in behind me, using me as cover. Although I couldn't claim to be tougher than our front liners, I was still miles tougher than the supporting elements paired with me. Combined with my stature, I could easily block a few bullets and buy them the time to get to safety.

But it seemed to be for nought as all six of us rapidly advanced in the face of no resistance. No SMG or shotgun wielding thugs popping out of alleys, snipers taking potshots from afar, or gatling gunners jumping on cars for better shots. Just silence.

The pace for both our lines slowed until both our lines hesitated just across the street from the gates of the Schale club building. Everyone looked about waiting for the shoe to drop. There was not a single sign of a rioter anywhere.

"It's quiet." Rin said from behind me, voice carrying in the silent city streets. I spun around to quiet her, as did Chinatsu. Meanwhile, Yuuka and Suzumi from across the street turned to tell her to stop even as Hasumi shouldered her rifle.

"My~ Wouldn't you say it's too quiet?"

We all froze as an unfamiliar voice finished the stock phrase for Rin. Every gun instantly went up and, moments later, the speaker strolled out from behind the guardhouse next to the entrance. The kimono, cherry blossom halo, and distinct fox mask told us all we needed to know.

"Ms. Kosaka, I presume. Do you intend to get in our way?" I called out, the rest of the Students with me visibly tensing as I named the girl in front of us. As the forward line turned to look at me, I locked eyes with Suzumi for a brief second before cocking my head in Wakamo's direction. It took a moment but I saw comprehension light up in her eyes as the one-winged girl reached for something behind her back.

"Oh? Aren't you polite?" Wakamo answered. She seemed to have missed the momentary byplay but the smirk was almost audible in her voice, "What if I said I plan to?"

"Then it would be regrettable, but we will have to come to blows."

She laughed, the musical noise carrying and echoing throughout the empty crossing, before she snapped her fingers. Rioters poured out of the alleyways and buildings surrounding the Schale Club Room. She stepped back, letting the thugs take their place in front of her. By my count, almost two dozen thugs were arrayed there. "Looks like the little puppies of the General Student Council have come to stop me." She shouted to the crowd, the thugs booing and jeering at us in response. "How adorable. Show them their mistake."

Before the thugs could even do anything, I shouted "Mark!" and shoved Chinatsu and Rin behind me into the waiting lobby of an apartment. Across the street, Suzumi drew out the two flash bombs she had behind her back and tossed them into the crowd. The devices clattered dead center even as the rest of us turned away from the detonation.

The thugs did not have the luxury of knowing what I was saying and, caught in the face of a sudden offensive, were left entirely vulnerable. A third of the crowd were already on the ground unconscious when Hasumi and Yuuka opened fire. Those still standing immediately dived for cover and returned fire at the first line. However, they did little more than to keep us from advancing immediately thanks to how disoriented and scattered they were.

Wakamo, for her credit, was completely unfazed by the flash bombs. I wasn't sure if it was because she was simply tougher than the thugs or if her mask actually helped but the results were the same. The fox-eared girl looked at her struggling forces, shrugged, and made the decision to fight.

I've seen the girls I was with do fantastical acts so far, even if I ignored their innate resilience and physical prowess. Yuuka's personal shield stopped weapons that would have shredded light vehicles back home. Suzumi seemed to have a near limitless supply of flash bombs, all of which could cut through the durability granted by a Halo and knock Students unconscious. Hasumi was able to concentrate her will and enhance a single shot to match the performance of anti-tank rifles. Chinatsu's abilities were much less flashy, but her ability to patch any wound in moments with nothing but a medic bag was the flesh of miracles.

None of it prepared me for Wakamo. The girl leapt three meters from a standing start, spinning in mid-air to avoid a burst of fire from Suzumi, and landed on top of the guard house with the ease of an acrobat. Even before her feet made contact with the concrete, she had her rifle cradled in her arms and pointed square at Yuuka.

The weapon barked and a shot slammed into Yuuka's shield, leaving a red petal imprint. Even as Yuuka cried out in shock, Hasumi leveled her rifle and returned fire. Even as the crack of her rifle echoed, the fox-eared girl managed to spin out of the way faster than the bullet could reach her. Even while in the air, Wakamo somehow found the time mid-spin to work the bolt, aim, and fire; another petal glowing on Yuuka's shield recording another hit.

Suzumi had a flash bomb in the air even before Wakamo finished her mid-air shot. The girl did not avoid it this time. Instead, the second she landed, she spun her rifle around to grab it by the handguard and bat the bomb away with her stock. She managed to pull the bolt open mid-spin and close it as she flipped the weapon back to fire another round into Yuuka's shield from a one-handed grip.

Two and half seconds into the exchange Yuuka finally managed to get over her shock to respond to the assault. Where accuracy and explosives failed, the purple-haired administrator elected to simply spray down the area Wakamo was standing with a long burst from each of her SMGs. A move which was met by her opponent pulling an unconscious Valkyrie officer off the roof by hooking her bayonet around a strap of the bulletproof vest, and kicking the officer at her. Yuuka was forced to drop her burst early to avoid friendly fire; a hesitation not shared by Wakamo as she managed to squeeze a shot under the flying office to plant a fourth petal into the shield.

Four seconds in and I finally had my rifle up and sights on the back of the mobile fox girl. Even as I squeezed the trigger, I could see her head whip towards me. Striker met primer and my rifle thundered. In that crystal clarity found in combat, I watched as Wakamo spun her rifle behind her and caught the bullet on the side of the bayonet. The same bullet that I saw shatter a gatling gun feed half an hour ago met the steel of the bayonet. Sparks flew as the copper jacket ground against the thin blade before the bullet was deflected away. Then, as if to further rub salt in the wound, she managed to aim and fire the rifle while it was still behind her back.

The fifth petal bloomed from Yuuka's shield. The completed flower glowed with a violent red energy before exploding, shaking the street and sending the Seminar Treasurer flying back into a pile of debris. Yuuka managed an "ow" before a burst of fire nearly hitting her reminded all of us the rioters were still around. Battered as she was, she still had the sense to roll herself behind the debris.

Just under six seconds. That's all it took for Wakamo to reverse the fortunes of the battlefield granted to us by our surprise attack. We wouldn't be able to smash through the resistance being put up by the rioters without Yuuka's shield. With the purple haired girl currently nursing her wounds, the first serious ones inflicted thus far, it would be some time before she would be able to take the vanguard again. Which meant we would need to grind our way through the enemy rioters.

A stray thought whispered to me, breaking down how I could have prevented this. If I took a place among the first line, I could have tried to take one or two of those shots from Wakamo. It might have hurt, but it would have prevented this tactical turnabout. We would still be able to advance, even if slowed. I crushed that thought as quickly as it came to me. I couldn't risk the Students worrying about me in the middle of a fight and I could have distracted them. The thought still gnawed at me though. Fortunately, I was distracted by Chinatsu tugging on my sleeve.

"Sensei," Chinatsu said, eyes burning with determination, "We need to help Yuuka. Please cover me!" I nodded in response, before turning to the third member of our group. I didn't even need to say anything as Rin waved us forward, tucking herself deeper into the apartment lobby.

With that worry out of the way, I motioned for Chinatsu to follow before the two of us rushed out into the street. Bullet plinked off the ground around us and I could feel at least one rifle glance off my shoulder, but the fire still being put up by Suzumi and Hasumi was keeping the rioters pinned. I could see Wakamo from the corner of my eye watching the firefight, neither contributing or calling for a halt.

Well, at least until we reached Yuuka. As Chinatsu slid into cover next to Yuuka, we could all hear Wakamo call out to the rioters. "My job here is done. You can take care of the rest."

I watched as the fox hopped from her spot on the guardhouse onto a pedestrian bridge halfway down the block, with an ease that defied the reality of the twenty five-meter jump. Her exit from the field did not go unnoticed.

"She's running away! After he-Hng!" Yuuka shouted, trying to rise from her spot only to be forced back down by Chinatsu.

"Not while you're injured!"

The radio crackled as Hasumi spoke up. "We can't waste any more time either. Our goal is to reclaim the Schale club room."

"I want to catch her too, but we need to get to that building." Suzumi chipped in, her voice broken up by the gunfire caught on the mic.

"Fine," Yuuka ground out, as Chinatsu began patching up the bruised and scratched administrator, "but she'll pay for that when I see her next!"

I nodded, my expression tight as I watched Chinatsu patch her up, "Oh of that, I am sure."

"Down!" I shouted, and both Rin and Chinatsu dived beneath the sandbags as a gatling gunner fired at us. A second later the crack of Hasumi's rifle echoed and the gatling gunner fell over unconscious. But it was still too late as the gunner bought time for two shotgunners to bridge the gap from the front of the Schale building, across the lawn, and almost to the sandbags that covered our two more fragile Supports. I rose up and over the sandbags to intercept, rifle at the ready to meet them.

The lead shotgunner fired as they approached, the blast of buckshot catching me in the side. I winced but held steady, firing the rifle at the thug behind her, whose shot was blocked by the lead. The first shot tore the shotgun out of her hands, the second caught her in the knee and sent her to the ground, and the third went wide. But with the thug immobilized, the last two slammed into her head and the halo winked out.

I turned to the lead thug and reached for another clip to load the rifle. My hand found none. A half-formed curse barely managed to leave my lips before the lead thug fired again, this time catching me in the stomach. The pain was manageable so I grit my teeth and charged. The thug seemed stunned and at a loss of what to do as I closed to engage. She gathered her nerves at the last moment and attempted to fire her shotgun again but I was already within her reach. I grabbed the barrel and pushed it down into the ground, the buckshot cratering the dirt. Before she could yank the gun free, I pulled her closer toward me and I reared back my head. She stumbled forward and I brought my head down into a headbutt right onto the top of her head.

It felt like slamming my head into a brick wall. My vision swam for a second but I managed to right myself. The same could not be said for the thug, who was stumbling back as she grabbed her head in pain. Before she could recover, I flipped the rifle in my grip to grab it by the handguard and swung it like a club. The buttstock of the rifle cracked into the side of the thug's head and sent her flying. She hit the ground, rolled, and slammed into a tree. A second later, her halo vanished.

I blinked, surprised. I wasn't expecting that to work. I looked down at my weapon and, to my surprise, the rifle in my hands was intact. Aside from a crack in the stock where it met the thugs face, the entire weapon seemed perfectly fine.

I took a look as I caught my breath, seeing vicious fighting all around the front lawn of the Schale building. After we had patched Yuuka up, we forced our way through the thugs at the gate. I had thought that those may have been the last of the rioters, but it seemed Wakamo held the best for this last position. Our two lines were forced to merge into a single front, and now our support line was dangerously close to the enemy. But try as they might, the thugs were losing. The Students with me were all differing levels of injured but we were taking out multiple thugs with every exchange.

I pushed forward towards the next piece of cover, the remains of an ornate fountain, and sat myself against the base. Chinatsu and Rin were at my side moments later, varying levels of concern clear on both of their faces.

"Sensei, are you OK?" Chinatsu asked, looking over to examine my side. I winced as her hand grazed a particularly buckled spot in my side. She spotted the reaction immediately, and came to the correct conclusion. "Sensei, you need to stop risking yourself! You might be tough, but you're still taking injuries faster than everyone else!"

I couldn't deny that. "Ms. Hinomiya, we need-" I started before the medic shushed me.

"There's not that many thugs left! Leave them to the rest of us and rest!"

In the face of her glare and angry pout, I acquiesced. I let the rifle vanish and raised my hands. "Very well. I would make for a poor Teacher if I made your job harder."

The medic hummed in agreement before reaching into her bag to retrieve her supplies. One issue we had quickly encountered during the push was her healing. Specifically, how relatively ineffective her healing was for me. What should have healed anybody else fully was only able to heal cuts and reduce bruises for me. We'd have to test it at a future time, but my guess was that the light damage was being dealt to the parts of me that were Human. Anything more serious was actually being dealt to my Battleship components. Try as she might, but I don't think Chinatsu was a dockworker.

I took a peek over the fountain as Chinatsu began applying the patches and bandages. The last of the thugs had formed a final bastion at the top of the stairs to the Schale building and was defending it to the last, but the trail of unconscious rioters leading up to the spot spoke of the casualties taken.

Even as they poured fire into Yuuka's statue cover, they missed Suzumi from the other side of the stairs standing up with a flash bomb at the ready. She wound up for the throw, but a rioter with a rifle spotted her. Before they could shoot her, the side of their helmet cracked as Hasumi made her presence known once again. The rest of the thugs turned their guns to Hasumi, and missed the flash bomb drop into their cover. I turned away as I heard the loud pop of the weapon detonating, letting myself relax as the volume of fire from the stairs decreased. It seems we really did have this in the bag.

The rioters had all been defeated by the time Chinatsu had finished applying the patches. Their bodies were laid strewn across the lawn, and dangling on or over cover. Despite the grotesque description, the lack of blood or any serious injuries made for an almost satirical scene. This was some of the heaviest fighting ever experienced even by some of my more experienced crew, and there wasn't a single fatality.

"Sensei!" I heard Yuuka shout. I turned to where she was on the stairs with the rest of the front line, waving at the three of us in the rear. "We made it! We're at the entrance of the building!"

I smiled, waving back at the girl. It seemed we were finally done. I started to cross the lawn with Chinatsu and Rin when a loud rumbling echoed throughout the lawn. All of us were instantly on alert.

"Huh? What's that sound…?" Yuuka muttered aloud, only to be answered a second later as a large brown vehicle smashed through the fences surrounding the lawn. Heavy metal tracks slid over the dirt and drifted towards us even as the hexagonal turret turned to our direction.

"Watch out! It's a Crusader tank!" Chinatsu warned, a second too late as the tank's secondary machine gun turret opened fire along with the coaxial. The front liners were forced into cover around the stairs as the secondary turret pinned them in place. Meanwhile, the three of us jumped back into cover in the dry basin of the fountain as the coaxial tore into our position.

The machine gun fire slackened for a second and I looked up to see why, only to find myself staring down the barrel of the main gun. Pointed directly at myself, Chinatsu, and Rin. I dove to cover them as I shouted, "BRAC-"

The thunder of the cannon firing cut off anything else I had to say.

AN: And we pitch right into the violence. It's kinda interesting to me how Wakamo is made out to be a big deal, but then she doesn't actually really feel like that in the prologue. Beginner boss and all that, I understand. But I hope her appearance here made her feel a bit more like the threat she's described to be.

Thanks again to my friend for beta reading and trying to make sure things don't get too strange. Also, catching the fact I apparently can't spell Millennium.

Specifically for the FFN Readers, I noticed I hadn't been adding the chapter names to this story. I've gone and edited them into now.