Chapter 4 – Defense of Fort Grunwald


"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

- Ephesians 6:12 NIV


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Fort Grunwald, West Courtyard – Month of ?, foggy winter

TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!

"RAAUUUGHH THIS ISN'T RIGHT! GET ME OUT! NONE OF US SHOULD BE HERE!"

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA

PSIU! PSIU! PSIU! PSIU! PSIU!

"I-I-I NEED TO GET OUT OF HEREEE! I CAN'T FUCKING DIE HERE!"

BOOOOOOM!

I heard the screams and cries of desperation and panic amidst the relentless gunfire as we exchanged shots with the Sirens. Hiding behind our Königstiger tank, I peered around the corner, my shotgun clutched tightly in my hands. The Sirens were advancing from behind trees and rocks, just a few meters from the tall steel fences that marked the boundary of our fort.

I took aim and fired, the recoil of the shotgun reverberating through my arms as the first Siren collapsed in a spray of yellow blood. Without hesitating, I pumped the shotgun and fired again, dropping another Siren that had emerged from behind a boulder. But as I lined up the third shot, I pulled the trigger and I felt a shock to my core because I was out of shotgun shells.

The third Siren came close to me, its eyes locked on me, raised its weapon at me. With a grunt, I hurled the empty shotgun at the Siren. The weapon struck it hard enough to stagger the creature, giving me just enough time to draw my P08 pistol from its holster.

I squeezed the trigger multiple times. The Siren's head snapped back as a hole appeared in its forehead, and it crumpled to the ground, dead.

I ducked back behind the tank, my heart pounding in my chest. Around me, the chaos of battle raged on. The Königstiger returned fire with its coaxial machine gun, cutting down trees and turning Siren infantry into yellow mist. Machine gun pillboxes around the base provided suppressive fire with their MG42s, while a Siege Howitzer on the rooftop of the fort hammered away at the Sirens' positions.

From the steel hatch windows of the fort, more machine guns sprayed bullets at the advancing enemy, tearing through their ranks. All of our armored vehicles had mobilized, taking strategic positions in the west and east courtyards as ordered by Weber. It was like hell on earth, but with the cold bite of winter in the air and death lurking in every corner.

Amidst this hell, I refocused myself on my primary task which is tending to the wounded and bringing critically injured soldiers at the field hospital inside the fort by Weber himself since I am a medic myself. It felt like hours already since the assault began and so far I already brought lot men inside, I manage to save most of them but some of them succumbed to their injuries while carrying them or at the field hospital.

"FUUCCK! HELP! MEDICC!"

I poke my head out again behind the tank and saw one of our men on the ground, calling for help. I grabbed one of my smoke grenades attached to my belt and pulled the pin, tossing it towards him to create a smokescreen. Seconds later the area where the soldier is at is now covered with white smoke, obscuring us from Siren fire.

"Hang in there!" I shouted my voice barely audible over the cacophony of the battle. I sprinted through the smoke, keeping low, and my heart pounding in my chest. I felt the heat of the energy bolt zipped past my face just an inch from taking my life and that made me fall on my back and I immediately stood up and sprinted to where the wounded was while keeping low. Some siren fire hitting the Königstiger armor and others thuds into the ground around me.

As I reached the soldier, I saw the panic in his eyes. He is clutching a bloody wound in his side, his breathing ragged.

"You're going to be okay." I said loudly assured him, quickly assessing his injuries. I applied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding and reached into my small medical kit attached to my belt for a syringe of morphine.

"Hey, hey! You're going to be okay alright? I'm here for you. Here's Morphine…What's your name?" I said out loud again for him to hear me, as I injected morphine into his arm.

" Karl. M-Mül-ler." he stuttered as he groaned in pain.

"Okay Müller I'm to have to bring you back inside and I want you to remind calm at all times understood?!" I said loudly and he gave me a nod.

I noticed the smoke began to thin, and I knew we didn't have much time. I hefted him onto my shoulder, gritting my teeth against the strain, taking a deep breath and-

*BOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*

Suddenly, I heard an explosion coming from what seems to be at the fences and seconds later, I look at the source and suddenly 3 Siren infantry emerged from the smoke; I widened my eyes as its sight locking onto us. I pulled my sidearm and pointed at the sirens.

*CLICK* *CLICK*

I widen my eyes because my sidearm has no ammo… Scheisse! I forgot to reload! Then I glance at the sirens again and they raised their weap-

BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTT

Suddenly a burst of gunfire from the behind and mowed the sirens down to pieces causing yellow blood to splash all over the place. I looked behind me and saw one of our machine gunners near the entrance currently proning with an MG42.

"GO! GO!" The machine gunner shouted.

"D-Danke!" I said out loud as I ran towards the entrance while carrying Müller.

I made it inside again. I gently put Müller down and made him lean on the wall and I glance to my right and see the two other medics rushed towards me with a stretcher, taking Müller from me and putting him in the stretcher.

"You did well Oswald!" a medic named Noah said, patting my shoulder. "We'll take it from here, there might be new ones again outside… can you still pull it off?"

I nodded weakly and they left in a rush with Müller. My adrenaline from before wearing off, leaving me exhausted and sat on the ground near the entrance, taking a moment to catch my breath. I have been continuously risking my life for others now. Dodging energy bolts and the possibility of getting my head blown off. I've been carrying the wounded without rest and I just needed at least half a minute to rest. I glanced around and see two soldiers shooting at the Sirens through the steel hatch windows positioned on both sides of the blast door entrance. One soldier was on the left side, firing his rifle, while the other was on the right side, using a MG08. I also see soldiers or engineers? Assembling a large anti-tank field gun at the ends of the corridors, preparing for the possibility that the Sirens might breach the west and east courtyards and break through the blast door entrances. They were also positioning sandbags in front of the gun to fortify it. All around me, soldiers are moving with purpose and urgency, working tirelessly to bolster the fort's defenses.

My thoughts drifted to Wilhelm and Ernst, who were in the eastern courtyard. Wilhelm is tasked to maintain their positions and hold their ground with the others. While Ernst is tasked with providing suppressive fire since he's our machine gunner, while I am needed in the west side of the fort because this side lacks medics. I couldn't help but worry about their safety. I hope that they manage to make through this hell without any severe injuries…at least a treatable injury…

After some thinking, worrying and taking in the chaotic scene around me, I stood up and went outside again to find some wounded again, finding cover behind one of our Panzer IVs.

The intense exchange of gunfire with the Sirens echoed around me. I saw another wounded soldier just a few meters away, behind a Tiger I tank, being shielded from enemy fire. He was clutching his stomach, and another fellow soldier was trying to help him. I ran as fast as I could, evading the hot energy from the Sirens. When I arrived at my destination, I peeked at the icy forest where the Sirens were currently firing at us.

Suddenly, I saw what it looks like one of their tanks despite the fog; its main cannon started to glow. I realized it was aiming at the tank we were currently hiding behind.

"PANZZZERRRR!" I screamed loudly. I instinctively ran away and dived, face planting my face onto the snow to avoid getting caught in the potential powerful blast.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

"…anzer! 1 o' clock!" someone shouted.

My ears were ringing from the explosion earlier, I looked behind me while still in the snow, and the tank is now a burning mess, the turret popped out of the tank's chassis and landed beside the tank. Then I realized the two soldiers were behind the tank, my eyes widened as they perished along with the exploded.

I see the Siren tank taking hits from our side. It is now heavily damaged and burning. It took another hit and then it exploded. Seeing the Siren tank destroyed brought a brief sense of relief.

Then I see what it seems to be 3 projectiles, glowing a yellow hue in the sky…is that flare? Why would someone fire 3 flares? That is…Then the glowing projectile is now falling towards us unusually slow… that's surely not a flare… then I realize… no… IT'S AN ARTILLERY ATTACK!

"ARTILLLERIEEEEEE!" someone screamed.

"DECKUNG!" a soldier shouted as everyone scrambled for cover.

The others and I fled from the area to attempt to go inside the fort for cover and—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

A huge explosion occurred on the rooftop of the fort, destroying our siege howitzer placed there along with the soldiers operating the howitz—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

"ARRRRUUGGHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"OUUUGHHHH—"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!

Another two huge Explosions erupted around the courtyard and made the earth below me shook which made me fell on the snowy ground.

"Uuughh-"

I saw many of our fellow soldiers and tanks destroyed and killed by the artillery alone. My ears are still ringing a bit from the explosion earlier. I see some soldiers and 2 tanks survived the ordeal and immediately returned fire to the sirens that are firing at us. Despite the dizziness I am experiencing right now, I scrambled behind a disabled Panzer IV. The hatch on top of the tank turret and the hatch on the front opened and 4 of the crew fled and went inside the fort.

As I am still processing slowly over what happened due to shock, I heard weaker explosion that is seem to coming on the steel fences, I peeked my head out and see many serpents breaching through the fences, accompanied by three giant glowing bugs we encountered back on the road. The sight of these creatures made my blood run cold. They were tearing through our lines, killing many soldiers who tried to hold their ground after the artillery strike. I stood up a quickly regrouped near the entrance with the remaining men doing the same and returned fire, mowing down many of the Sirens our weapons. Two soldiers fired panzerschreck at one of the giant bugs. One hit its head, while the other struck its yellow glowing sac, causing the red sac to burst and spill over the snow, corroding the ground eventually killing the thing. One Tiger 1 tank near beside us fired its main cannon at one of the giant bugs, killing it with 1 single shell and firing its coaxial at the siren infantry.

I managed to find cover again but behind a fallen section of a wall near the entrance, my heart pounding in my chest as I took in the chaotic battlefield around me. I picked up a kar89k with a bayonet attached from a dead soldier that has its jaw blown off beside me.

"*huff* *huff* *huff*" I panted, trying to catch my breath.

I poke my head out and pointed my rifle at the enemy through the fog, shooting at the advancing Siren infantry. I don't know if i hit a few of them but do see many of them falling on its tracks. Suddenly, a energy bolt struck the very top of my helmet, knocking it off my head. I immediately ducked back under for cover and saw that the top part of my helmet had melted from the hit, rendering it unusable.

I scanned the scene around me: some soldiers were getting killed; others were still firing their weapons at the attackers, and some launching their panzerschrecks at those hovering tanks and groups of Sirens. The enemy was pouring down on us.

"DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING," a very loud bell rang out—our signal to retr—

"RETREAT! GET INSIDE NOW!" an officer commanded desperately.

BOOOOM!

"AAAHHHHH" I see a soldier thrown from the ground due an explosion.

Hearing the officer, I pulled a smoke grenade and dropped it to cover us, then threw another one near the Tiger I tank. Almost all soldiers began grabbing their heavy equipment and retreating inside. Some machine-gunners still firing their MG42 and many firing their weapons from the fort through steel hatches to cover everyone to escape. As I was about to get inside and there is a soldier with both of its legs blown off on the side just a few meters away from the entrance. Then the legless soldier looked at me.

"H-h-h-help me, p-p-please!" The soldier's tone was desperate and fearful as he pleaded with me. I immediately went to the soldier and knelt next to him, the smoke all around providing some cover from the Siren fire. I applied a tourniquet to both limbs to add pressure and stop the bleeding.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing?! You want to die too?! Get inside now! That guy is wasted now… he won't last hours in his current state!" The machine-gunner just to the right side of the entrance called out to me, his tone urgent and his expression exasperated.

"NO! PLEASE. PLEASE, MAN, NO! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE. DON'T LEAVE ME GOD, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! I'VE GOT KIDS PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" The wounded soldier screamed in panic, his voice breaking and tears streaming down his face.

"I'm not going anywhere! We'll get you home, alright? I got you. Okay? You'll be home soon!" My tone was reassuring and determined as I spoke to the soldier, who was hyperventilating from his injuries. I injected morphine to ease his pain before carrying him with both arms.

"MOVE, GO, GO, GO, GO!" One of the soldiers shouted for the other men to get inside as quickly as possible.

I grabbed the critical soldier, lifted him up with both arms, and made my way inside the fort, heading straight for the field hospital. I carefully put the critical soldier beside the wall for him to lean on. I see Noah approach me and knelt down beside me to inspect the critical soldier.

"This guy is a priority." My expression was serious and urgent as I said that to the medic.

"…A priority? Ever heard of triage? He'll be dead before we get him to the doctor." Noah's expression was skeptical and resigned as he said that.

"You don't know that!" My expression was defiant and determined as I said that. The medic just looked at me, dumbfounded. "Bring him there immediately and get him treated… Alright?!"

"Okay…Okay…It's alright, buddy, we'll get you treated as soon as possible!" Noah patted the critical soldier's face reassuringly. After he said that, the medic immediately brought him deeper inside the fort to the field hospital.

I looked at the entrance and saw one of the last soldiers from outside streaming inside, and the Tiger I tank from before reversing into the fort while firing its coaxial machine gun and main cannon to stagger the Siren assault. I heard the blast door entrance close behind me... looks like we got one of our tanks that survived that entire ordeal… that's good. I also heard some of the soldiers continued shooting through the steel hatch windows, the Tiger still reversing slowly, and soldiers screaming to barricade the main entrance.

"THEY'RE FALLING BACK!" Someone announced, surprise in their tone.

"W-What? But we were on the run?" A soldier said, his tone confused and bewildered.

"Did they just give up?" Another soldier said his tone incredulous.

"Why are they…" A soldier said, his tone puzzled.

"We should go out and cha—" A soldier began to say, his tone aggressive.

"No! It could be a trick to lure us out!" Another soldier interrupted his tone cautious.


Night rolled in. After helping with the other wounded in the corridors of the fort, bringing crates of ammunition to many rooms, and artillery shells to our newly assembled anti-tank gun. Now, I am currently in the corridors of Sector 1 on my way to the field hospital to check on the others. The dimly lit corridors, due to the electricity being out from the heavy artillery barrage, cast eerie shadows. Surprisingly and fortunately the fort hasn't collapsed just yet.

Now the sirens have retreated onto the forest for unknown reasons and when I peeked on one of our steel windows to see the state of the west courtyard, I only pitch back like pure darkness outside like when you shine a flashlight or any source of light you have, the darkness would absorb the light so we cannot go outside due to that and the risk of being snipe. As I walk through on the now depressing corridors, I see a lot of soldiers lying down on the cold floor with oil lanterns beside them; some are warming themselves up near a burn barrel and others are carrying a lot of supplies with the—

"Knock on Monstrosity's door and you'll get a slow and painful death," a soldier suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders, startling me and making me almost collide my fist to his face; but I held back.

"Those things are coming back for us, and it'll be over for us! Those pigs back home basically put us on death row in this prison! They fed us to them, do you hear me?! Ahahahaha!" he ranted with a crazed expression.

After that he just left and went passed me…He might've been just drunk or went insane I understand that he had gone mad or mentally broken from the severity of the attack. I sympathized with him, but he isn't the only one going through this hell. After some pondering, I entered the field hospital, a very large room with an operating room inside. I saw many wounded soldiers on the ground covered with blankets. I walked further to check on them one by one and make sure to watch my step, I might just step on their wound and it wou—

"Oswa—ld…Osw—ald!" I hear Ernst faint voice calling out to me.

"Ernst?" I looked at him just at the right side; he is lying down with a blanket covering his body. I came to him and knelt down by his side.

"O-Oswald," Ernst replied weakly, but he smiled a bit when he saw me. He gripped my shoulder with his left hand, his tone very low because he was severely injured.

"What happened? Where have you been hit?" I asked, concerned.

"Above the knee… or somewhere down there," Ernst said in a barely audible tone, indicating his leg. "I can't feel anything…"

I lifted the blanket that was covering his legs and saw his right leg charred; I literally see his bones sticking out of his leg. His leg is on its first stages of rot…It's truly a revolting sight.

"How far above the knee was I shot?" Ernst asked, his voice trembling. "I can't even lift my head."

"It's… its really deep down… at least 12 centimeters deep…" I said, still looking at the severity of the wound before turning to Ernst.

"You're going to be okay, Ernst. We just have to hold them out…" I tried to reassure him.

"You think so? Then how am I going to join the police force with this?" Ernst's voice wavered as he indicated the state of his leg.

"…for Christ's sake," Ernst began to cry, his tone filled with despair. "…I won't let them amputate me… I won't live as a cripple"

"You won't have to… there are others who are worse off that they've patched up," I reassured him, trying to keep a hopefulness tone in my voice.

"…I guess I'll give you this," Ernst said, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a small emerald gem. "Just a small gemstone that my mother gave me before she passed away."

"You sure? But it's from your mother" I exclaimed, surprised.

"No… now that I am like this… I won't have any use for it anymore," Ernst said, his voice filled with resignation.

"…You do have a father right? Or any other relative?" I asked Ernst with a bit of concern.

"…I-I never saw my father in my life… he left before I was born, leaving my mother to take care of me. She passed away because she had tuberculosis and I am also the only child…Since no one was going to support me financially, I voluntarily joined the military because it's the only way for me to get a life for myself…to have a purpose!… I am just going to say this… me joining the army is the best decision I've ever made because I met people like you, Oswald…" Ernst's expression was a mix of sadness and gratitude, his tone sincere despite his current state.

"…I'm sorry to hear that, and I am also glad to have you on board." I said my tone empathetic.

I inspected the small emerald, realizing it was the real thing. I wondered why he would give up something so valuable to him. After inspecting it, I stored the gem in my pocket.

"You have to be brave! You're alive and healthy!" Ernst said after he suddenly grabbed my collar, pulling me a bit closer. "For that, you have to be grateful!"

"For us. For those who didn't make it!" Ernst's voice carried a desperate intensity.

"Be quiet!" I said. "Listen here, you can't say that! Not you!" Ernst fell silent, looking at me with weary eyes, then he let go.

"Now… do you know where Wilhelm is?" I asked.

"He said he's going to bring something to eat here… he's the one who brought me here," Ernst replied weakly. I see…

I stood up and exited the field hospital, heading towards the mess hall. As I walked through the corridors, I heard a lot of shouting coming from the mess hall. When I entered, I saw soldiers with their metal bowls, desperately trying to get their share.

"Not until everyone's here!" someone shouted.

"They're in the field hospital or at the entrance!" another voice responded.

"C'mon! Dish it up! We can smell it's done!" someone else said in frustration.

"No! I can't!" a soldier replied.

"Why the hell not?!" another soldier demanded in pure frustration.

The smell of sausage and potato soup filled the air, adding to the soldiers' frustrations and desperation. The mess hall was a literal rubble mess, with many seats crushed by debris and the kitchen area filled with rubble. I spotted Wilhelm in the middle of an argument with the server, who was also a soldier.

"You were ordered by Kommandant to give extra provisions for those who risked their balls off in that hell at the courtyard from before, right?!" Wilhelm's voice was filled with anger as I see him grabbed the collar of the soldier serving the food. "WE ARE THOSE PEOPLE!"

""""YEAHH!"""" almost everyone in the room shouted in unison.

"Wil!" I called out, trying to get his attention.

"…Oswald!" Wilhelm responded, turning to face me.

"I-I'm glad to see you alive!" I said, patting Wilhelm's shoulder with relief.

"So I guess you've seen what state Ernst is in right now? How is he?" Wilhelm asked, concerned.

"He's fine… he told me where you were," I replied.

"He did a lot back at the east side, providing covering fire for us… he'll get a double for what he did," Wilhelm said. We both grabbed four metal bowls, two each, to get our share of the newly cooked potato stew. After filling our bowls, we left the mess hall.

"Scheiße, I was worried about you back at the east courtyard… It's been that many hours since I last saw you. I really thought you were dead," Wilhelm said as we walked through the corridors of the fort passing through some drunken soldiers.

"We'll all die at some point in life, but not on the home stretch," I replied.

"Heh, if you die before me, I'll kill you," Wilhelm joked, Wilhelm really cares about me huh? I just laughed a bit at his statement.

We returned to the field hospital, finding Ernst still sleeping. We knelt down by his side while holding 2 bowls of stew on each of us.

"Ernst, Ernst," Wilhelm called softly. Ernst slowly opened his eyes and looked at Wilhelm.

"…Sarge?" Ernst weakly patted Wilhelm's face. "…I'm… glad to… see you guys."

"We brought you some stew," Wilhelm said, smiling slightly.

"D-did you guys bring some cutlery?" Ernst asked weakly.

"Heheh, we brought some cutlery too," Wilhelm replied, smiling. I handed a pair of spoon and fork to Ernst. Ernst took the cutlery.

"Here, enjoy it" Wilhelm said as he placed two bowls beside him.

I gave one bowl to Wilhelm, and began to eat. The hot potato stew was comforting, with a good amount of sausage pieces and soft boiled potatoes. The hot stew felt like a small blessing in the midst of the shit that is happening. While I was eating my food, I noticed a soldier lying on the ground in the room with us is staring at me. He is not even injured at all, it seems like he is just resting here. I pay him no mind as I continue on my meal. Then moments later I hear squelching sounds behind me… I turned around NO! WHAT IS HE?!

"NO! ERNST, STOP!" I pleaded, dropping the bowl on the ground as panic is surging through me. He is currently stabbing himself with the fork I gave him!

"STOP IT! ERNST!" Wilhelm's voice was filled with desperation.

"ERNST! NO!" Wilhelm tried to stop Ernst by grabbing the fork stuck in his neck. Ernst kept stabbing himself with the sharp fork, causing blood to gush out profusely.

As soon as Wilhelm pulled the fork out of the side of his throat, I covered his throat with both hands to try and stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't stop at all. Wilhelm also applied pressure by placing his hands on top of mine. He was still bleeding—there was no use at all.

"WE NEED HELP HERE!" Wilhelm shouted.

"W-Why did you do that? Why!?" I said out loud.

"Grrrrkkkk—it's over now, it's over—hhgghkk," Ernst gasped, his expression pained as he bled out.

"HE'S BLEEDING OUT!" Wilhelm shouted again, his voice tinged with panic.

I watched in horror as Ernst's eyes began to blur, the light slowly extinguishing from them. Wilhelm and I were both panicking, unsure of what to do. Seconds later, Ernst took his last breath and died from the bleeding. We slowly let go of his neck, our hands covered in his blood. I looked at Wilhelm, who seemed shocked and shaken. We hadn't expected Ernst to do that. I noticed the bowls beside Ernst are gone. I looked around and see the soldier that was staring at me before stole Ernst's food; he looked at me for a second and continued eating like nothing happened… I just let it go as I am still shocked by what happened just now.


…It has gone quiet inside the fort now, but we still hear faint voices; we relocated from the field hospital to one of the rooms in the barracks that haven't been ruined yet. It's just me and Wilhelm currently sitting on the floor, surrounding a small bonfire that I recently made. Ernst's body has been carried out of the field hospital by the other medics and dumped in a separate room filled with the other dead. I am holding a photo of my family with my mother in the middle; my father on the right side and me on the left, wrapping my right arm around my mother's shoulder, with my two little sisters in front. All of us smiling in the photo, I felt a tear run down my cheek. I glanced at Wilhelm on the other side of the room; he is currently holding his rifle while reading a…letter?

I put my family photo back in my wallet and secured it in my pocket, then pulled my sidearm out. I pulled the magazine out of it to check how much ammo I have le—

"Oswald…" Wilhelm said quietly, looking at me. "How did you become a soldier?"

"…I was drafted; some officers went door to door to get more men for the army to counter Azur Lane's offenses on the western front." I sighed. "My mother and father tried to hide me, but I was against them for trying to do that because I actually wanted to be in the army and do something big like serving the fatherland."

"My parents wanted me to have a normal life. They didn't want me to go to war."

"They always said, 'It's not for you,' or 'you'll be dead in no time,'" I continued. "The benefits of being a soldier were good; I wanted to show them that I could do it and support them financially."

"Those things will come back and slaughter us all here inside… I feel like they're holding back for some reason because they just retreated, and the electricity just went out. Even the generators won't work… The smell of gunpowder and blood isn't just something you wash away with soap and water…"

"Oswald…" Wilhelm spoke with a tint of irritation in his voice.

"We'll never get rid of the stench."

"Okay, that's enough…"

"Paul's dead, Klaus is dead, Johann is dead and Er—"

"WHAT'S IT TO US NOW?!" Wilhelm's voice rose, making me widen my eyes in surprise before he muttered something "Sigh… I swear your heart is too big for this."

"This war is like a storm that no one wanted, but it swept us all away. We didn't choose this, the others didn't choose this, yet here we stand, and God remains silent. It's just suddenly here, Oswald…" Wilhelm said, looking at me the whole time.

"…The things outside just want to kill us, and we must fight back, be courageous… Well… what the hell do I know? I know nothing. I'm just a pair of boots with a gun. We're not even like those fuckers from the news lately…" Wilhelm looked down again.

"Get some sleep now… Count your blessings," Wilhelm said as he lay down on one of the beds in the room.

I also lay down on one of the unbroken beds in the room.

"Wil… How about you? Why did you become a soldier?" I asked.

"…I had no choice; every household needed to provide one," Wilhelm replied.

"…I'm afraid of what's to come," I confessed.

"Don't be…" Wilhelm reassured me.

I thought about my fear of what was to come next. My only intention is to survive this hell of a mess and hopefully for help to arrive and save us all. I eliminated all of my thoughts and drifted to sleep.


"…Hey, wake up! Accompany me to Weber's office," Wilhelm said his tone firm.

"…ngh, what time is it? And why do we need to go there?" I asked groggily as I looked up at him and rose from the bed.

"I'm sure it's a bit bright outside, and my watch is acting all weird. As for Kommandant Weber…I'm supposed to report to him… I forgot due to all the shit happening simultaneously," Wilhelm explained, his tone frustrated, his expression troubled. I checked my watch, noticing it was spinning abnormally fast. Why is it like this?

I nodded, and Wilhelm handed me a rifle that was in the corner of the room. I grabbed the rifle, left the room, and headed to the inner sanctum of the fort, which was sector 3, or the administrative sector. While passing through the corridors of Sector 1, some soldiers were still sleeping, and some were getting ready.

"…So, what are you going to say to him?" I asked, curious.

"You'll find out soon when we get there. I have a lot to spill," Wilhelm replied, his tone serious.

I guessed it was best to save it for later, but one thing I knew about Wilhelm was that if he was like this, it must be something big and serious, best saved for many people to hear. After a walk to Weber's office door, Wilhelm knocked on the door. It was opened by Lieutenant Schwarz himself!

"…What are you two here for?" Schwarz asked his tone curt, his expression a mix of surprise and impatience. I noticed he is holding a cage with a pigeon inside it.

"We're here for—" I began.

"No shit you're here for Kommandant… Bah, whatever, excuse me for a sec," Schwarz interrupted, his tone irritated as he left in a fast pace. I was about to say that we had something important to report.

"…Leave him be… he's had his fair share of the shit that happened in the east," Wilhelm said, his tone understanding. Both Wilhelm and I entered Weber's office and saw Weber sitting in front of his mahogany office desk, his head resting on his hands.

"Sir!" Wilhelm and I said simultaneously and saluted, but Weber didn't acknowledge our presence. He looked half asleep and was muttering something, seeming deep in thought.

"214 casualties…" I heard Weber mutter under his breath.

"Sir?" I said, my tone concerned.

"19 tanks destroyed and trapped here… I could've surrendered this fort if it was the Royals and the Eagle Union outs—" Weber muttered, his expression weary.

"Sir," I said louder this time, trying to get his attention.

"Fucking electricity is out… Those demons jamming our communication l—" Weber muttered again.

"Kommandant!" Wilhelm said out loud this time, louder than before.

"W-Wuh?! What?! What the hell are you doing in my office so suddenly without my permission?!" Weber snapped, his tone startled and irritated.

"With all due respect, sir, you look like you're still in dreaming or whatever… you've been muttering things," Wilhelm said, his tone concerned, his expression serious.

"…Forget it, Sergeant. Now what is it that you two want?" Weber asked his tone weary.

"During our confrontation with the Sirens' assault on the east courtyard, one of our comrades tried to kill me with a shovel. He tackled and pinned me down. Luckily, I was able to stab his neck in time before he jabbed that thing into my neck… It's like what we experienced back in Neuenberg, Kommandant. I think the Sirens have some sort of mind control capabilities but on soldiers but target anybody randomly at any time…" Wilhelm reported his tone serious, his expression grim.

Weber sighed and nodded. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Sergeant. There have been several accounts similar to yours… soldiers killing another one of his… The Soldier in this account went insane… He started blabbering things and killed his comrades for that was around him. Some accounts similar to yours involved knives, and some even killed three soldiers using his SMG before others realized and killed the killer too without a second thought. But there are no accounts inside the fort during the assault… It's just as you said, Corporal Fischer, there's definitely some kind of chemical or gas mixed in the fog that makes a human lust for our own blood," Weber said, his expression grave.

"Kommandant, is it possible to connect to high command?" I asked, trying to maintain a respectful tone.

"No, but I gave my last messenger pigeon to your lieutenant and ordered him to release it outside. It's impossible to connect to the fatherland with our current state here…but that bird is our only hope of contacting with High command" Weber explained, his expression frustrated. I thought to myself, hah… I really hope the bird won't get shot down.

"Heh, hope that bird won't be treated as target practice for those things out there," Weber said, his tone slightly sarcastic, his expression weary.

"…One more thing, you two… Accompany me and call everyone outside sector 3's entrance," Weber instructed his tone firm. In my mind, I wondered if that shouldn't be another officer's job.

"Jawohl," Wilhelm and I said simultaneously.


After convincing the others to call everyone else and report at the inner Sanctum, I just noticed that there were two large crates by sector 3's entrance. I wondered what was inside. Could it be explosives or ammunition? Weber climbed over one of the crates and stood before the gathered soldiers in the dimly lit hallway of the fort, his expression a mix of determination and fatigue. He took a deep breath, ready to address the men who had been through hell and back.

"Achtung!" One officer said out loud beside me.

"…Men, listen up! We're in a dire situation. We're cut off from the fatherland and can't call for help. The Sirens have jammed our communications, and the fog outside is thick with their poisonous influence. We've lost many good men, but we're still here, and we're still fighting. We're Ironblood soldiers, and we don't give up. The Serpents are relentless, their alien weapons tearing through our ranks. We've faced their heavy weaponry, and we've seen their acid-spitting monstrosities. But remember, these aren't invincible demons; they're also enemies who can bleed. We have something they don't—our resolve, our unity, and our ingenuity. We've held this fort against their assault, and we'll continue to do so. In these crates, we have a supply of explosives—specifically anti-tank grenades and rifle grenade attachments. These will give us the edge we need. When those damn infantry of theirs flood our corridors, or their hovering tanks breach our defenses, we'll be ready. We'll hit them hard and show them what it means to face Ironblood steel. These grenades are a special kind. When you pull the safety cap and throw it, they will detonate immediately upon hitting a hard surface. That means when it hits the armor of those tanks, it will explode instantly; and yes these grenades are basically a grenade and a mortar shell's love child. But stay vigilant, stay strong. Every man here is vital. We protect each other, and we protect this fort. For our fallen comrades, for our families, and for our homeland, we will hold the line. Remember, we are the shield that stands between our people and the darkness. We will not falter, and we will not fail. Now, gear up and prepare for the next wave. Together, we will make sure the Sirens regret ever stepping foot on our soil. As for the remaining officers I called over earlier; you all know what to do! For Ironblood! For Humanity!"

Weber saluted, and everyone listening did so too. Then Weber stepped down, grabbed a crowbar from the ground, and forcibly opened the crates, revealing the contents inside filled with anti-tank grenades and rifle grenade attachments he mentioned.

"Take what you need. These will help us turn the tide." The men nodded grimly, some of the soldiers' resolve steeled by Weber's words and some still looked worried as everyone went to get their fair share of the explosives provided. Some soldiers took many of them, placing them in small crates and distributing them to other soldiers like they were some sort of philanthropists.

"Corporal Fischer," I heard Weber call beside me, causing me to turn my attention to him. "I heard the deeds that you've done to the wounded soldiers from the others; selfishly disregarding your own safety for the lives of 53 men with the intention of bringing them back to their families…you've done more than any other man for the service of our country." Did I hear that right?! Weber's tone was filled with gratitude, and his expression was sincere. I was shocked; I had never been praised this much before, especially not by a high-ranking officer. I was also surprised to that fact that I saved 53 men all by myself. My adrenaline had been running during the attack, and I was just saving soldiers instinctively.

"Ah, oh no, I was just doing my job as a medic, Kommandant. I think those doctors and the other medics deserve the prai-"

"No, stop; don't give me that, Corporal. I would give you a medal for your services, but the circumstances we're in right now are preventing me from doing so… so I beg you to continue what you've done yesterday in these dire times, for our nation." Weber smiled a bit and saluted me. I saluted back.

"Thank you, sir!"

I watched as Weber moved towards the east side, the soldiers stepping aside to make room for him to pass. As Weber disappeared from sight, Wilhelm appeared at my side, patting my shoulder and smiling.

"Nice work, 53 is an insane number; how did you manage to do that and not get tired?" he asked in wonder.

"…I don't know, I just kept on going and going without realizing it… The other medics didn't even tell me." I was in disbelief as I tried to comprehend how I'd accomplished such a feat.

"That's because they were occupied too; it's probably the doctors who told them. Anyhow, I'm proud of ya," Wilhelm said warmly.

I smiled and thanked Wilhelm. We waited for the crowd to disperse, and then I grabbed a couple of anti-tank grenades and attached them to my belt. Wilhelm did the same, securing his share of the explosives and grabbing a rifle grenade attachment.

"FEINDLICHER ANGRIFF!" We all turned at the sound of the screaming and saw a soldier running through the corridors from Sector 1 to Sector 2.

"ANGRIFF VON OSTEN!" another shouted, indicating that there was another attack on the east side.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

We all scrambled to our defensive positions. The blast doors that had been our fortress's last line of defense have blown off its hinges. I could see chunks of steel and melted fragments scattered across the ground, still steaming from the heat. I remember that the steel is 4 feet thick from an engineer and that fact that they one shotted

At least eighty or ninety of us took positions behind the row of sandbags, weapons ready, facing the smoking entrance with Schwarz commanding all of us here. The engineers had set up one of our Flak 88s in the west corridor, its massive barrel pointed toward the breached blast doors, while the rest of us huddled around it, rifles and machine guns at the ready. The air was thick with tension and the stench of burnt metal.

Across the corridor, I spotted another group of soldiers fortifying their positions. They had one of our remaining Tigers stationed there, its presence a reassuring sight, alongside another Flak 88 aimed down the hallway, ready to unleash hell on the oncoming wave.

"Get ready!" Schwarz shouted his voice tight with tension.

I nodded, gripping my rifle so hard my knuckles turned white. As the smoke began to clear, the Sirens emerged—those cursed serpents, their alien forms twisted and nightmarish, charging at us in overwhelming numbers.

"FEUER!" The command echoed through the corridor.

The Flak 88 roared to life, a thunderous boom that shook the very walls, tearing through the Serpents like they were made of paper. The shockwave rippled through us, but we held our ground, opening fire with everything we had.

PSIU! PSIU! PSIU! PSIU!

TSEW! TSEW! TSEW! TSEW! TSEW!

The sound of energy bolts and bullets mixed into the chaotic mess. A soldier screamed in agony, the sound cutting through the cacophony.

"OSWALD! Forget that guy! He's not going to last a minute in his current state!" Wilhelm shouted beside me, snapping me back to the fight.

"Scheiße! They just keep on coming! They only want to kill us!" another soldier yelled, his voice trembling with fear as he continued to fire his SMG.

"THROW THE GRENADES!" Schwarz's command was desperate, a last-ditch effort to stem the tide.

We hurled our anti-tank grenades at the advancing Sirens. Some landed perfectly, exploding against the armored Serpents, while others bounced off the walls, detonating in mid-air or upon impact with the ground. Despite the barrage, they kept coming, relentless.

SPLAT!

I felt a warm, wet sensation on my face. I looked down to see blood and brain matter splattered across my uniform. My heart skipped a beat as I realized I had dropped my rifle in shock. Shaking myself out of it, I quickly retrieved my weapon and resumed firing.

"W-Wilhelm! Man the machine gun!" I shouted, my voice betraying my fear.

"Goddamn it!" Wilhelm cursed as he shoved aside the headless corpse of a fallen soldier and took control of the MG08, its barrel spitting death as he mowed down the Sirens.

TATATATATATATATTATATATATATATATATATATATA

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.

"AMMUNITION!" one of the MG42 gunners screamed, his voice tinged with desperation.

"HERE! AMMUNITION!" a soldier behind me shouted, rushing forward with a fresh belt.

BONK!

I felt a sharp pain as something hard struck my helmet. Dazed, I looked down to see a glowing yellow ball, a siren grenade. Panic surged through me. Without thinking, I grabbed it and hurled it back toward the enemy.

BOOOOM!

The grenade detonated in mid-air, sending a shockwave through the corridor but sparing us from the worst of it. I barely had time to catch my breath before another grenade landed just two meters away, beside a fellow MG42 gunner.

"Scheisse, Scheisse, Scheisse!" he muttered, his voice filled with panic as he fumbled to grab the grenade.

BOOOM!

The explosion tore through the air, and the gunner screamed in agony, clutching his mangled arm as blood poured from the wound. Seconds later, he was gone died due to excessive bleeding.

"I CAN'T HEAR! I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" his assistant gunner shouted, his face pale and eyes wide with terror. The blast had disoriented him, leaving him vulnerable.

I stood there, frozen, as the first and second rows of our defense were cut down, soldiers falling like flies, their bodies torn apart by energy bolts and grenades. The sight was overwhelming—blood, death, and chaos everywhere. Fear gripped me, threatening to paralyze me.

"OSSSSWAAALD! I NEED HELP HERE!" Wilhelm's voice cut through the fog of war, snapping me out of my stupor. He was struggling to load the ammunition belt into the MG08, his hands shaking.

"Ye-yes!" I stammered, rushing to his side. But before I could help, a series of loud thumps echoed through the corridor.

"FEUER!" Schwarz's voice boomed, giving the order to fire the Flak 88 once more.

The gun roared, sending another shell into the mass of Serpents. The explosion was devastating—almost all the Sirens were blown off their feet, their bodies thrown through the air, crashing to the ground in twisted heaps. Yellow blood splattered across the walls and floor, mixing with the red of our fallen comrades.

The remaining Siren infantry hesitated, and then began to retreat, their numbers decimated by our relentless defense.

"They might be coming again…be on your guard, men!" Schwarz warned his voice steady but laced with the weight of the battle we had just endured.

We stood there, panting, adrenaline still coursing through our veins, our eyes scanning the smoke-filled corridor for any sign of another attack. But for now, the assault had been repelled, and we had a moment—just a moment—to catch our brea—

PPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

PPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTT

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS!" one of the soldiers shouted, his voice raw with terror. WHAT?

"GAS! GAS! GAS! GAS!" another soldier echoed, his cry of warning bouncing off the walls as panic spread like wildfire.

"Cough! Uhuk! Uhuk! Wheeeze!" I heard one of my comrades.

"Hack! Hack! Wheeze!..." I see one of my comrades coughing out blood before he succumbed to the toxic gas.

"SCHEIßE!" a soldier cursed as he was trying to open his gas mask canister.

My eyes widened as I saw the yellow, cloudy substance quickly billowing through the corridor. Without a second thought, I reached for my gas canister, attached to the side of my combat belt. My hands shook with fear and urgency as I fumbled with the mask. Time seemed to stretch, every second feeling like an eternity as the gas spread rapidly, filling every corner of the corridor.

I struggled to get the mask over my face, my mind racing. Then…After what felt like an eternity, I managed to secure it properly. The mask's filter kicked in, and I took a shaky breath, relieved to feel the stale, filtered air instead of the searing burn of the gas. But my relief was short-lived as I realized the situation we were in.

The gas was everywhere now, its ominous yellow cloud snaking through the fort's corridors, filling the air with death. We had no electricity, our communication devices disabled our only means of warning the others was through messengers. But there was no time for that now. The Sirens are coming in mass numbers again.

Some of the soldiers had barely finished donning their masks when the shooting started again. The corridor echoed with the sharp cracks of MG42s and the thunderous roar of the Flak 88 as it fired, its shell tearing through the Sirens, sending many of them flying and crashing onto the ground.

I ducked behind the sandbags for cover, my heart pounding in my chest. The Sirens energy bolts zipped past me, the sounds of battle a deafening cacophony. I peeked out from behind the sandbags and squeezed off a few shots with my rifle, aiming at the reptilian figures charging toward us. Their assault was relentless, they were moving at a terrifying pace. But we held our ground, firing everything we had into the oncoming horde.

"SCHEISSE! FIX BAYONETS!" Schwarz's voice cut through the chaos like a knife.

I felt a chill on my spine as I heard the command. The Sirens are coming too close at us and left us no choice but to engage in close-quarter combat. My hand is shaking a bit as the pressure was too much for me to handle; I affixed the bayonet to my rifle.

The corridor in this section erupted into chaos as the Sirens engaged us in close-quarter combat. I tightened my grip on my rifle, feeling the familiar weight of the bayonet attached to the end. One of the Serpents lunged at me, its grotesque face twisted into a snarl. I met its charge with a scream of desperation, driving the bayonet into its chest with all the force I could muster.

The creature let out a hideous screech as it collapsed, but there was no time to celebrate. Another Siren was already bearing down on me, its weapon raised to strike. I braced myself, knowing I couldn't defend against it in time.

BANG!

A shot rang out, and the Siren fell to the ground, dead before it could strike. I glanced to my right and saw Wilhelm, his rifle still smoking from the shot. He nodded at me, and I muttered a breathless, "Danke," before turning back to the fray.

It's like we're experiencing a piece of hell here. All around me, my comrades and the Sirens were locked in a brutal struggle for survival. I saw one of our soldiers repeatedly stabbing a Siren in the neck, yellow blood spraying everywhere. Two soldiers were bludgeoning a Siren with the butt of their rifles, their faces contorted in rage and fear.

Despite our ferocity of our defenses, we were still losing men. I watched as one of our comrades was overpowered, the Siren ripping through his throat with a savage swipe of its claws. He collapsed in a heap.

I was fighting on instinct now, each movement a desperate attempt to stay alive. The stench of blood, burnt flesh, and chemicals filled my nose even through the mask. My arms ached from the effort of—

"AAGH" I felt a sharp pain on my left shoulder as I see a siren manage to jab a piece of broken iron on my shoulder.

With rage and adrenaline running, I hit the siren with the butt of my rifle as hard as I could. The siren fell and with one final blow, I stabbed the siren with my bayonet. I was forcibly sat on my rear due to the physical and mental exhaustion that I am currently experiencing right now…I glanced around the hell around me while holding my wound. Everything just seems to be in slow motion right now for some reason…heh, is it just me exhausted or is it because I am bleeding on my shoulder right now. I see Wilhelm bashing the siren's head with a piece of concrete, my other comrades engaging in CQC, throwing grenades and some firing their weapons.

SPLAT!

Yellow blood splattered all over the cold stone floor after I bashed one of the last remaining Sirens with a mace as it writhed on the ground. It was over for now… The number of the 80+ men that were with us before the attack had now been reduced to 37, including me. As for my shoulder wound? One of the medics patched me up when the Siren's numbers were dwindling. I lost some blood, but not enough to make me unconscious. I was grateful and surprised that I was still alive with minimal injuries. God is definitely doing something here, but unfortunately, He couldn't save everyone.

I sat on my rear and glanced around. The remaining men were still wearing their gas masks as they collected the Siren corpses, piling them up and burning them with the help of two flame troopers.

"Fucking bastards," one of the soldiers muttered through his gas mask as he carried another siren corpse to the pile.

"You Siren dogs…" growled another soldier, his voice muffled by the mask.

"I should've gutted them alive," another chimed in, his tone laced with venom.

"Fucking burn them all," I heard Schwarz command the two flametroopers, his voice distorted by the mask.

"With pleasure," "Jawohl," the two Flame-troopers replied all at once.

FWWOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Damn, that's brutal. This is definitely a war crime when you burn human corpses with that thing," Wilhelm remarked as he sat down beside me, watching the fire light up the dark corridors.

"…How so?" I asked my voice weak from exhaustion.

"Mistreatment of the deceased is considered a war crime…" Wilhelm explained as I reloaded my P08 pistol. I glanced to my right, seeing Wilhelm handing me a Gewehr 43 and some ammo for it. "You've got a habit of breaking or losing weapons. You'll need this, plus some ammunition."

"Hah… Need that… Danke." I Thanked

I took the Gewehr 43 and checked the magazine. It was full. As I glanced around the aftermath of the chaos, I saw small fires surrounding us, the bodies of our fallen comrades strewn about. The other soldiers were busy removing the dead, taking care of them with a solemn efficiency. A few meters away, a soldier delivered a final blow to a writhing Siren with a mace—a blunt weapon with a metal ball at the end. Suddenly, a strange smoke began to emerge in front of us, catching everyone's attention.

"ANGRIFF! ANGRIFF!" Schwarz's voice cut through the air as we all scrambled to our positions, readying our weapons and pointing them at the smoke.

"We're not taking any chances! FEUER!" Schwarz ordered. Machine guns and rifles lit up, firing relentlessly into the smoke. After a few moments, he called out again: "HAAAALLLLTTT!"

We all stopped firing, and as the smoke started to clear, I could make out the silhouette of a girl within the haze. Wait…Why is there a girl here? Yet alone a kid? How in god's name did she get here in this isolated part of the world? The silhouette slowly became more distinct, revealing a very pale figure.

The girl had long, flowing white hair that cascaded down her back, shimmering slightly even in the dim light. Her eyes were a piercing, unnatural yellow, glowing with an eerie intensity. Her face, despite its youthful appearance, had a sinister edge, and her lips curled into a maniacal smile that really disturbed me to the core.

She was dressed in a bizarre, revealing outfit—mostly black with striking yellow accents. It clung to her slender, almost inhumanly perfect physique, making her seem more like a doll or a different kind of human. But what truly caught my attention was the strange thing behind her—a set of large, mechanical things that floated behind her, bristling with what looked

like weapons and sensors. They moved with a life of their own, almost like the movement of harmful swarms of insects…Are these the elite sirens that I've read from the recent news? If that's the case then the firepower we just unleashed seconds were not effective against these monsters…We were all giving each other the side eye not knowing what to do. The siren sauntered towards us then stopped in her tracks. She looked at us with a bored expression on her face then glanced at the pile of burning siren infantry

"Heh, well why am I not surprised? You humans are always this much of a brute when it comes to your enemies," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm as her yellow eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and indifference. "buuuuttt really love that side of you all~"

Schwarz suddenly gasped, his voice trembling, "T-t-t-that's- that t-thing! Y-Y-You're that s-siren named P-Purifier!"

"For real…" Wilhelm muttered under his breath, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Another soldier, clearly in shock, shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, SIREN SCUM?! WHAT COULD YOU BE GAINING FROM ALL THIS? FOR KILLING THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE?!" His voice was laced with both anger and fear.

"Hehe, that's a secret, human," Purifier replied with a smirk. Her tone was condescending, as if we were nothing more than insects to her. She then let out a casual yawn, adding, "*Yawn* I know I should be releasing those big creepy-crawlies upon you all, but I haven't had any face-to-face action with you yet. Ahahaha~"

Her nonchalance was maddening, but what she said next chilled me to the bone. "Hah~ buuuut~ you humans do realize that you all are one of the only remaining guards here in this little castle of yours? Hm?"

"W-What? What do you mean b-by that?!" Schwarz, still pointing his MP40 at her with shaky hands, stammered.

"Well~ there are three other areas like this? You know, with lots of soldiers in one place and big cannon like that one behind you~!" She pointed at the Flak 88 behind us, her smile widening. "But except for the other two that had one tank... they're all taken care of~ Shame they didn't put up much of a fight; that barely satisfied my needs for a decent fight. Buuuuuut I'll be nice to you all this time~ consider this your last and lucky day!"

Her words were taunting, her tone insane. "I'll give you all the chance to at least harm me in some way~ you wouldn't call this a battle if I wasn't hurt, ya knooow~?"

"S-SHUT UP, YOU BITCH! TAKE THIS! FEUER!" Schwarz screamed, his voice still tinged with fear as he commanded us to open fire.

We unleashed everything we had. SMGs, rifles, and even the Flak 88 fired a shell at her, spitting death at her. Purifier spread her arms wide, almost as if inviting the bullets to hit her, her expression twisted into a maniacal grin. The hail of gunfire did nothing; the bullets barely scratched her. Smoke formed. Two of the flametroopers stepped forward, unleashing scorching streams of fire, trying to cook her alive in the inferno. They kept it up for a full half-minute, but as the flames died down; The smoke now cleared out and… SHE'S STILL STANDING THERE LIKE BEFORE, COMPLETELY UNHARMED?!

"W-What the hell?!" a soldier behind me shouted in a mix of fear and confusion.

"I-It's like we didn't even land a hit at her!" another soldier added, his voice trembling.

"God…" muttered another soldier, his voice hollow with despair.

Purifier stood there, unharmed, her expression one of twisted amusement. "Hmmmph~ that felt kind of good~ but I barely felt anything from those little toys of yours though…" She tilted her head, her smile growing wider. "Now~ that is done… it's my turn~"

ZAAAAAAAAAPPPPPP-BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

KRRRRRRRRRSHHHHH!

The sound of the explosion was deafening. My view shook as Purifier's cannon fired. I was knocked to the ground, the blast hitting me like a freight train, knocking the air out of my lungs. My ears were ringing. I couldn't hear anything except the high-pitched whine echoing in my head. For a moment, I couldn't move, it's like my body isn't obeying me at all.

When I finally managed to sit up, everything around me seemed to move in slow motion. The chaos unfolded before my eyes…The scene felt so unreal. I watched as Purifier, with an almost casual ease, tore through my comrades. She broke the fuel tanks on the backs of the flamethrowers, and then they exploded, consuming the troopers in seconds. Others were less fortunate; she used the strange mechanical appendages—no, weapons—on her back to rip them apart. Limbs were severed, bodies torn in half, and blood sprayed everywhere.

My comrades tried to fight back. But it was all futile. Purifier's attacks were swift and brutal. I could see the desperation based on my comrade's actions as they tried to stop her, but she was too powerful.

I heard Wilhelm's voice somewhere in the chaos, but it was distant, distorted by the ringing in my ears. He was shouting, but I couldn't make out the words. I think he's telling me to get up? His still echoed, but I couldn't respond.

My eyes caught sight of our lieutenant. He was on the ground, struggling to stand. Before I could react, Purifier grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. They exchanged words, though I couldn't hear what was said. Schwarz spat in her face, and for a brief moment, I thought she might let him go. But then, with a look of annoyance, she killed him, by tearing through him as if he were nothing.

My heart pounded in my chest, fear gripping me like a vice. Purifier turned her attention towards me and Wilhelm…No…I still couldn't even stand up! NO! GET THE FUCK AWAY FRO—

BOOOOOMM!

I widen my eyes as she just immediately exploded...Wha-What was that?! I turned to see the source and there was Weber, standing a short distance away, holding a Panzerschreck. He is currently wearing a gas mask, his eyes locked onto Purifier. The explosion had thrown her off balance. Then Weber discarded the Panzerschreck and turned to us.

"FOLLOW ME!" Weber shouted, pulling a smoke grenade from his belt and dropping it at his feet. The smoke billowed out, providing us with temporary cover, obscuring Purifier's view. Wilhelm swiftly pulled out another grenade from his belt, this time an Anti-Tank grenade. He lobbed it toward Purifier. The grenade sailed through the smoke and, upon contact with Purifier, exploded immediately with a deafening roar. After that Wilhelm quickly grabbed me by the arm, helping me to my feet. He threw my right arm over his shoulder, allowing me to lean on him as we both started to as quick as our legs can run to follow our Kommandant.


"This should hold her off for a bit," Weber said, his tone flat, but there was a weight behind his words.

We had just finished slamming the blast door shut inside Weber's office, locking ourselves away from that demon outside. The heavy door was meant to protect us, but now it felt more like our own unmarked tomb sealing us in. My heart pounded in my chest, and I was barely able to catch my breath after the sprint from Purifier's rampage. Some parts of my body still hurts like hell but able to run a bit. The solid steel between us and her might hold her off a bit, giving us a little time, but I couldn't shake the dread gnawing at my gut. What the hell are we going to do next?

"The hell are we going to do now?! We just locked ourselves in here!" Wilhelm blurted out.

"…Guess we'll die," I muttered.

"Easy there, Koch," Weber said, trying to steady Wilhelm's nerves. "You two can still escape… Just follow me…" He motioned for us to follow him to another room, his movements deliberate but heavy, like he knew what was coming next. We entered what seemed to be his personal sleeping quarters.

"Help me move this." Weber pointed to the bed.

Wilhelm and I exchanged a quick glance before pushing the bed aside, revealing a hidden steel hatch. Weber fished out a key from his pocket, his hands trembling slightly as he unlocked it. The hatch creaked open, revealing a dark, narrow passageway.

"…It's been an honor to serve with men like you two," Weber said quietly. "You can escape from here. When you get out on the other side, you'll find yourselves surrounded by trees, just approximately 808 meters away from here. It'll be a safe distance away from here"

"W-What? How about you, sir? Why don't you want to escape with us?" I asked, my voice trembling with confusion and a growing sense of dread.

"No, I can't… All of my men died inside this fort except you two," Weber said, his gaze fixed on something distant, something only he could see. "If this fort falls to the hands of those monsters especially that spawn of Satan that literally tore my men apart then I shall fall along with it. If I escape alive, the guilt of leaving this fort like nothing happened would be too much for me to handle. Go on… Live your lives to the fullest. I'm sure your families are praying to God that you two will make it through this… I don't even have any family left back at the fatherland, so I shall die here and buy you two time to escape."

He looked at us, his eyes filled with a mix of resignation and resolve. After his small speech, Weber gave us a salute, and we returned it, the gesture heavy with unspoken words. He pulled out his sidearm, a C96 pistol, and looked at us one last time. "Now GO!"

I watched as Wilhelm climbed down the ladder, disappearing into the darkness below. After he was gone, I slung my Gewehr 43 over my shoulder and approached the hatch. I gave one last nod to Weber, who nodded back.

I descended the ladder. As soon as I was down, the hatch closed above me with a loud metallic bang. The sound was soon followed by another loud bang from above—Purifier must have started breaking down the blast doors. But I couldn't think about that now as we walk through the underground hallway with dim lights.


"*huff* *huff* *huff* *huff* *huff*"

We've been walking through the blizzard and avoiding siren convoys since we came out of the other side for what felt like hours now…even seeing one of those giant bugs, they're everywhere. The sky is lighting a purplish hue for some reason, probably the work of sirens again… it provides we couldn't even tell the time as our watches spinning abnormally fast… it's like time is fast forwarding but it really isn't. I feel like I'm going to get frost bite as time pasts even with full winter gear with gloves plus a gas mask. Why do I still have the gas mask? Well there might be gas lingering outside too and we couldn't just see it, so it's better to be safe than dead. Also we need to find shelter first to settle in…

"Village, 10 o'clock, down the hill!" Wilhelm's voice broke through the howling wind.

I squinted through the fog and minor blizzard, and sure enough, I could see a small village down the slope. The hill wasn't steep—just a gentle slope downhill covered in snow with no rocks in sight. I could still make out the dim lights of the village, even through the swirling snow.

"...Let's go then," I said, and we began our careful descent down the slope, hearing the crunch of snow beneath our boots as Wilhelm followed close behind.

We passed a few trees as we reached the bottom, finally arriving at the village. The place was abandoned, as expected—no life left in it now. Hell, we hadn't even seen a single bird or wild animal the whole time we were outside, avoiding the Sirens' attention. Paranoia gnawed at us, making us believe we were being watched, that at any moment, the Sirens might surprise attack us, and it would be all over for us.

We went over the fence rather than using one of the entrances, not wanting to risk being spotted, Paranoia again. Carefully, we approached a medium-sized house, opening the door slowly to avoid making any noise. Once inside, we raised our weapons and inspected the house thoroughly, searching for any unwanted surprises like Sirens or traps. The house was decorated with trinkets, landscape paintings, and portraits of the people that probably used to live here. As we moved through the house, each step we took caused the floor to creak beneath us. The dining room was filled with food, all frozen solid. Upstairs, we checked the other rooms: a room with two beds that seemed to belong to children, a bathroom, and the master bedroom. After confirming that the house was clear, we settled ourselves near a fireplace. We pulled the blinds over the windows to prevent the light from the inside seen outside. I lit the fire, and we finally allowed ourselves to relax, feeling the warmth start to seep into our frozen bodies.

Wilhelm reached into his pocket and pulled out something…eggs? "Here… I sneaked some hardboiled eggs while we were in the mess hall of the fort. It's not much but it's something" he said with a small smile, handing me two eggs. There was a hint of humor in his voice.

"Dankeschön," I muttered, taking the hardboiled eggs from Wilhelm. I cracked one open and devoured it immediately…eating simple food like this tastes like heaven but it's not enough to satisfy my hunger.

After having food for the first time in what felt like an eternity, my thoughts drifted back to the fort. It was probably taken by now, with the Sirens turning it into an outpost for themselves. That was likely why they suddenly killed all the locals and soldiers here in the Ardennes—to establish a base, plan, and expand their reach throughout Iris and our nation. Yeah…that seems like a plausible reason.

Wilhelm, sitting across from me, began to talk about his family back home, how much he loved his wife, son, and daughter, and how he regretted not being able to tell them just how much they meant to him. His voice was thick with emotion, and I just sat in silence, letting him speak until he finally fell quiet. It was the first time I had ever seen him like this. He usually acted tough, pushing me to do things in combat I hadn't thought possible, but now he was letting all that stress out. It felt strange seeing him so…vulnerable, but it was completely understandable.

I stood up and walked to one of the windows, pulling the blinds aside just enough to peek outside. Through the blizzard and fog, I could see a tower-like structure glowing with a purple hue. I squinted, trying to make sense of it. Is that… is that what's causing all the unusual occurrences we've been dealing with since Neuenberg? I wondered. After analyzing it for a moment, I called Wilhelm over to take a look as well. "That might have something to do with all the bullshit we've been dealing with."

"…This might be risky, but we have to destroy it," I said, my voice resolute despite the uncertainty gnawing at me. This might be one of the stupidest shit i might do but we got to bring it down.

"Got one tank grenade and three small dynamite charges," Wilhelm responded, pointing to the explosives hidden under his coat and the grenade attached to his waist.

"Same as yours, except I don't have charges… Let's bring it down. There are no Sirens in the area anyway… at least for now." I readied my Gewehr 43, my expression determined. "We should move now; I'll cover you while you plant the charges."

We carefully opened the window and slipped outside into the backyard, our boots crunching through the snow as the blizzard still raged around us. We climbed over the waist-high fence, moving past a couple of trees. The area was eerily silent—no signs of life, not even wildlife. The sky above was dark, lit only by a strange purplish glow, like the dim light of dawn around 5:30 AM.

I signaled Wilhelm with hand signs, instructing him to plant the three dynamite charges around the base of the tower. The tower was about 2 meters wide and seemed to stretch 15 meters into the sky, still emitting that odd electromagnetic wave. Once Wilhelm had planted the charges, we put some distance between ourselves and the tower. We both pulled the pins on our anti-tank grenades and hurled them at the base of the structure.

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

The explosion ripped through the air, and the ground trembled beneath us. The tower wavered for a moment, and then began to collapse. I looked up, seeing the sky gradually turning blue. It felt like winning the lottery—our assumption was correct.

CRRRRSSSHHHHHHH!

THUD!

"ACK!" Wilhelm cried out in pain. What the h—

"AAAUGH!" I grunted as a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my upper right arm. I turned my head, realizing that I'd been jabbed by a machete, wielded by a Serpent behind me.

The force of the blow sent me crashing to the ground. It felt like the blade had struck bone, and though adrenaline kicked in, the stinging pain was intense. I glanced around, spotting two Siren infantry approaching, their eyes locked on me as they prepared to finish the job. Nearby, Wilhelm was on the ground, gritting his teeth in anger and pain, the machete lodged in his shoulder, blood pouring from the wound. Desperately, I tried to crawl away, using my legs to push myself backward, but I couldn't stand up.

BANG! BANG!

The two Sirens dropped to the ground, dead, yellow blood seeping from bullet holes in their foreheads. I looked up, barely able to process what I was seeing—Ironblood soldiers were rushing toward us, with armored vehicles, likely half-tracks or armored cars, moving in behind them. Relief flooded through me.

Three soldiers quickly knelt by my side, inspecting my wounds.

"You're going to be okay, Kamerad!"

"Damn! Is he one of the men from that fort, sir?" one soldier asked, glancing up.

"I'll rip your balls off if you ask another question! Get him and the other soldier over there to camp, now!"

"Hey! Don't close your eyes on me!" another soldier said urgently, slapping me softly to keep me awake. But my body was giving out—I was exhausted, bleeding, and on the brink of collapse.

"H...y...He...Hey...D'..." The soldier treating me is saying something…I tried to respond, but I couldn't as I felt myself slipping away, my hearing fading as the darkness closed in.


Great Nation of the Ironblood, Ironblood National News – Month of May, late spring – 3rd POV

News Anchor: "Good evening, and welcome to Ironblood National News. We begin tonight with a report on the aftermath of Operation Phoenix, a decisive military campaign that has finally ended the Siren infestation in the Ardennes. The operation, led by combined forces from the Ironblood and Iris nations, has been hailed as a crucial victory in our ongoing struggle against the Siren threat."

[Cut to footage of soldiers and armored vehicles moving through the Ardennes, with smoke still rising from the battlefield.]

Reporter on the Ground: "Just days ago, this serene region was the site of one of the most brutal battles in recent memory. The Ardennes, known for its dense forests and peaceful communities, was again turned into a warzone as Siren forces launched a full-scale assault. Towns and Villages were decimated, and countless lives were lost as the Sirens systematically targeted both civilians and military personnel."

During the campaign, the Sirens took control of key strategic points, including Fort Grunwald, where the Ironblood garrison fought valiantly but was ultimately overrun. However, the turning point came when the Mirror Sea generator, a 15 meter tall tower used by the Sirens to block communications and hinder Ironblood forces was destroyed. This critical action lifted the veil of suppression, allowing the Ironblood and Iris forces to launch Operation Phoenix and reclaim the Ardennes."

[Cut to aerial footage of the destroyed Mirror Sea generator and the surrounding battlefield.]

Reporter on the Ground: "The operation was a grueling and bloody endeavor, but it succeeded in clearing the Siren infestation from the Ardennes. As the combined forces swept through the region, they discovered a harrowing scene at Fort Grunwald. Inside the fort, over 600 soldiers were found dead, many of whom had fought to the last breath. In total, 921 soldiers are confirmed dead or missing, with casualties reported both inside and outside the fort."

"However, the cost of Operation Phoenix was not limited to the battles at Fort Grunwald. Throughout the Ardennes, over 20,000 soldiers from both the Ironblood and Iris Orthodoxy forces perished in the effort to cleanse the region of Siren infestation. The losses were staggering, with entire battalions wiped out as they confronted the relentless Siren forces in the dense forests and bombed-out villages."

Only two Ironblood soldiers were found alive, their survival nothing short of miraculous. Additionally, 37 civilians who managed to evade the Siren's wrath were rescued and are now receiving medical care."

[Cut to an interview with a Ironblood General.]

The General: "The success of Operation Phoenix marks a significant victory, but it comes at a tremendous cost. The Ardennes has been left scarred, not only by the physical devastation but also by the loss of life. Our forces have eradicated the Siren threat from this region, but the memories of what happened here will linger for a long time."

[Back to the news anchor.]

News Anchor: "In the aftermath of Operation Phoenix, the Ardennes has become a focal point of grief and remembrance. As Ironblood and Iris Orthodoxy continued their joint efforts against the Sirens, the resilience shown in the Ardennes stands as a testament to our unwavering determination to protect our lands and our people."

This has been Ironblood National News, bringing you the latest updates on our ongoing efforts in the war against the Sirens. Stay tuned for more coverage on the Ardennes as we continue to report on this evolving conflict. Good night."


Narrative from the Author:

The defense of fort Grunwald was marked by the heroism, endurance and the sacrifice of the Ironblood soldiers stationed there. This small garrison reposed constant assaults of fire and gas...before they were forcibly succumbed to the sheer firepower and advanced weaponry of the sirens forces.

If the sirens had been able to hold the Ardennes from the assault of the combined arms of the Iris Orthodoxy and Ironblood forces, perhaps their assault on the Ardennes itself would've been completely successful and the whole of Europe would've been in the risk of a catastrophic event.

However, ultimately, there was little justification for the atrocious losses of life among both the Iris and Ironblood people.

Fort Grunwald stands as a solemn memorial, honoring the soldiers who gave their lives in this tragic battle.


I corrected many typos, filled in some missing parts, and removed some inconsistencies in the chapter. So anyways, now that Oswald's time in the Ardennes has concluded, he will be transferred to the Azure Archipelago and stationed at the 2nd base there. I know there are a few discrepancies you might have noticed, but rest assured, those will all be addressed in the next chapter. The upcoming chapter will focus on rest and recreation, featuring Oswald's first interactions with a few KANSENs in the city of Valencia, including his future kansen partner. I might not post the new chapter in many weeks due to life...So yea, stay tuned for the next one!