Chapter 61 - Welcome To Hell
[Center Island - Pocket of Trees]
(While Gero and Erika were talking Crows Nest already crossed the bridge on their side and took positions inside the trees and aimed)
"All tanks aim for the white tiger.." the commander of Crows Nest said
"But Nii-san..their commander is there..shouldn't we aim for her tank?" Sudou asked
"Don't call me that during a match.." said his brother Ishikawa Kenji
"Sorry..commander.."
"As for the reason why we are aiming at the white tiger..it's because he is an existence that should be erased from this world.." Kenji said with anger
"Ehh? But why?! He's such a nice guy!" Sudou defended
"Don't let yourself be fooled little brother..that smile is a fake one..he wears a mask to cover his face that kills others!" Kenji said
(Kenji stared at Gero with hateful eyes filled with rage and only rage. Through his binoculars he saw Gero look directly at him because he felt Kenji's killing intent then smoke shells exploded covering Gero's tank but Kenji still ordered to fire without hesitation)
"FIRE!"
*BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG
(Almost every tank from Crows Nest opened fire unto Gero as ordered. A volley of shells were now heading towards Gero's position)
"ERIKA PULL BACK NOW-"
*BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM
(Even with the smoke cover all shells landed on Gero's tank and not on anyone else. Erika quickly took cover as the shells fell. When the ringing on their ears stopped Erika popped out of her cupola and saw that Gero's tank was still covered in smoke. All she could feel was worry and fear of what may have happened to Gero and all she could do was scream)
"GEROOOOO!"
"NII-CHAN!"
"GERO-TAICHOU!"
"SENPAI!"
(The radio was still broadcasting to the whole team meaning Koume and the rest could hear them screaming and the loud explosions)
"Erika-san?! Gero-san?! What happened?!" Koume shouted
"GERO! ANSWER ME!" Erika shouted
"I'm alright Erika!"
"Gero?!"
(As the smoke cleared from the White Tiger, Erika saw that even after taking so many hits they still weren't white flagged. The white tiger was riddled with shell impacts and there were craters of explosions around the tank as well but that's not what scared Erika)
*DRIP
"Gero.."
(Once again blood was dripping from Gero's head and it was coming from his ears. It was bleeding from the loud explosions and it ruptured his eardrums. His arm was also bleeding because it had a cut which was from a piece of side armor skirt that got ripped apart from all the hits they took. His crew also had bleeding ears because the sound echoed inside their tank)
"Boys you good?!"
"Loader check!"
"Bow gunner check!"
"Driver check! Can't hear a bit but check!"
"Even though Erika's tank was out in the open they still aimed for me with everything they got..it's them..without a doubt!" Gero said in his mind
"Nii-chan! You're bleeding!" Alice shouted
"I'm fine! Pull back now-"
*CLANK *CLANK
(Suddenly Gero's white tiger was again being hit but this time it wasn't tank shells but anti tank bullets through the smoke. One bullet drifted a little bit too high and it grazed Gero's cheek and cut it making it bleed. Gero then used his cupola's hatch as cover from the shots)
"Damn it! To be able to hit accurate shots like this they're using that for sure!"
"They're only shooting at Gero's tank..meaning it's them..those that tried to kill him in the past.." Erika said in her thoughts
"Alice-chan! Toshi! Tojo! Keep popping smoke and pull back! Take Erika out of here!"
"What about you Nii-chan?!" Alice shouted
"I'll cover you!"
"Round up!" Ono shouted
"FIRE!"
*BANG
(The 88mm shell went through the thick cover of the smoke and landed near a Crows Nest tank in the woods but it didn't get hit. They fire back both tanks and anti tank rifles but none were hitting the white tiger)
"FIRE AGAIN!" Kenji ordered
*BANG *BANG
(This time Ken was prepared and was able to dodge the shots by timing the sounds of the guns and moving out of the way. As ordered the Iron Fangs escorted Erika's tank back to the bridge while Gero was giving them cover)
"He's getting away! Blow the bridge up!" Kenji shouted
"But that's dangerous! They could fall!" Sudou said
"THAT'S AN ORDER!" Kenji shouted
*BANG *BANG
(Two big shells from their tanks was fired at the direction of the bridge impacting the middle while Erika and the rest were crossing)
*BOOM *BOOM
"ERIKA!"
"We're ok! But the bridge!" Erika shouted
(The bridges was completely split in two leaving both Erika and Gero behind the island while the rest of the Iron Fangs were able to cross)
"Damn! What do we do?! Gero-"
*CRASH
(Erika's Panzer IV was suddenly hit at the back by a powerful force and launched her tank across to the other side of the bridge. After recovering from the impact Erika looked across the bridge and saw that it was Gero's tank that pushed her to safety and again there was a smile of relief on Gero's face knowing that Erika was safe)
"Gero..? Why..?"
"I'm sorry Erika.."
"Don't do this to me! We can fight together! We can help you!"
"You guys can help me by staying safe.."
"Please Gero? Come to this side of the bridge ok? We can think of a plan together.." Erika said as tears started to fall on her cheeks
"Iron Fangs..take care of the team for me.."
"Nii-chan!" Alice started tearing up as well
"Don't say that Gero-Taichou! We'll find a way back to you!" Tojo shouted
"Hang on senpai! We'll jump across and help you!"
"NO! PLEASE! STAY THERE! STAY SAFE!"
"Senpai.." Sakuraba said
"I can't risk your lives..for mine..I'm sorry.."
(Gero then turn on his communicator on his neck while looking at his team)
"I'm sorry everyone..but this is one battle I must fight without you..if by some miracle I come back alive from this..let's do Senshado again.."
"Gero..please..don't do this.."
(Erika was crying and begging Gero to come back. Gero just gave her the sweetest smile like he was already prepared to die and said)
"I love you Erika..more than anything in this world.."
"Gero...Gero.."
"This is Iron Fang Leader..going dark.."
"GERO!"
(Gero then turned off their radio and slowly disappeared in the smoke back to fight Crows Nest alone. Everyone could hear the distant explosions within the smoke and all of the were worried)
"DAMN! We have to do something Kommandant!" Tojo shouted
"Kommandant! Orders?!" Toshi shouted
(Erika was still unable to issue orders because at that moment she just stared at the love of her life while he said goodbye to fight alone and she couldn't do anything to stop him)
"Toshi-san! Tojo-san! Go towards the two bridges on opposite ends of the field! If they're untouched then we can cross there!" Koume shouted orders
"Jawohl Vize Kommandant!"
"Everyone else split up and look for any possible way for us to get to the island!" Koume again ordered
"Vize Kommandant! Please let me assist Gero-senpai from this side! I can provide sniper support!" Sakuraba said
"I too can do that!" Rio said
"Negative! There's too much smoke! You might accidentally hit Gero-san! Now shut up and start looking for a way!
"Damn it! Jawohl!" Sakuraba said
(As everyone did their orders Koume then parked her Panzer IV beside Erika's tank and she saw how out of it she was. Koume then got off and climbed on Erika's tank then woke her up)
*SLAP
"GET IT TOGETHER ERIKA-SAN!" Koume shouted
(A hard slap to the face woke Erika up from her shock and she saw Koume's face and she was also in tears because she was afraid of what could happen to Gero)
"K-Koume.."
"Right now your lover is fighting alone over there and you're still here not moving.."
"G-Gero is..he might..this time he could really die.."
"I don't know what really is happening..but I don't want to find out right now..what I want to know is are you going to let him die?" Koume asked
"No! Of course not!"
"THEN MOVE YOUR ASS KOMMANDANT!"
"Koume.."
"IF YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE THEN SAVE HIM! IF YOU WANT TO BE WITH HIM AGAIN THEN FIGHT ALONGSIDE HIM!" Koume shouted once more
(Koume then saw Erika's hand shaking in fear and she held it to calm her down)
"I know you're scared..I am too..but what you do know..at this very moment..is when it will make a difference..Erika-san..so let's go save Gero-san and win this tournament!" Koume smiled
(Erika's shaking stopped and she rubbed the tears of her eyes and her expression changed)
"Yeah..let's go save that Bakatora.."
[Center Island - Inside the Smokescreen]
(Gero and his crew was now inside the smokescreen and were dodging shots all around them)
"So Matsu-kun, what's the plan?"
"Well first things first..take away their eyes..we won't survive unless we stop them from hitting us through our smokescreen.."
"How are they hitting us by the way?" Ono asked
"My guess is they're using thermal optics on their tanks and rifle to detect heat..which is why they can hit us accurately even through smoke.."
"Another loophole in the rules huh?" Hajime said
"If it didn't say you CAN'T use it then you CAN use it as long as you get approval.."
"How can we counter that?" Ken asked
"Simple..we use these!"
(Gero then opened a box he brought in their tank before the match and his crew immediately knew what was his plan)
"First head to the bridge on the other side of the island.."
"Why Matsu-kun?"
"We have to keep them on the island..we must not let them get across..we'll trap them here with us then deal with them personally.."
"Roger!" his crew replied
"But I must first apologize to you guys..I'm not gonna sugarcoat it..if these people really are those that tried to kill me in the past..we all might not come out of this unscathed.."
"So your saying that we'll end up with wounds or something but we'll still be alive to celebrate right?" Ono asked
"Bring it on Taichou..we told you that together we are the white tiger..if they want to mess with you they mess with all of us!" Hajime smiled
"Couldn't have said it better myself Hajime-kun! Off to the bridge we go!" Ken said
"Ahaha! You guys are fuckin crazy you know that?"
"Aren't we all?" Ono asked
(They now headed for the bridge as planned and Crows Nest knew of this and they also headed there)
"He's trying to escape through the bridge on our side! Stop him at all costs! Open fire!" Kenji shouted
*BOOM *BOOM *BOOM
(Once again Gero and his crew was under fire while headed for the bridge. They were dodging left and right not being hit but once in a while two or three shells hit their turret and bounces off shaking them inside)
"If the shells are bouncing off our armor then what they have is about 75mm or smaller.."
"What about those big ass holes on the ground a while ago? Round up!"
"I'm guessing they have tanks that shoot 90mm to 122mm or bigger shells..FIRE!"
*BANG *BOOM
"So ignore the shells that are bouncing off and look out for the big one right?!" Ken asked
"Yup! We're here! Ono load H.E!"
"Round up!"
"KILL HIM!" Kenji shouted
(Once again Gero felt the intense killing intent and was able to act accordingly to avoid getting hit)
"Hajime launch smoke canisters! Ken reverse!"
*BOOM *BOOM
(Six smoke canisters were launched from their Tiger and completely hid them from the enemies and with Ken's quick reverse they were able to dodge one of the big shells and it exploded beside them sending shocks inside their tank)
"FIRE!"
*BANG *BOOM
(The H.E shell was able to destroy the bridge trapping Gero and everyone from Crows Nest in the island with nowhere else to cross. Kenji was surprised because he thought Gero's plan was to escape)
"He..destroyed the bridge?!" Sudou reacted
"Hah! That's fine! It'll make it easier for me to kill him! In the name of justice!" Kenji shouted
"All units hold your fire!" Sudou shouted
"What the hell are you saying Sudou!?" Kenji shouted
"Stop this already Nii-san! This isn't like you!" Sudou said
"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL HIM! FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE HE KILLED!" Kenji shouted
(While Kenji and Sudou were arguing, Kuromorimine on the other side of the bridge where still looking for a way to cross to the island)
"Tojo-san? Toshi-san? Status on those bridges?" Koume radioed
[North Bridge]
"Negative on the north bridge Vize Kommandant! They were able to destroy the bridge before we got here! Was able to white flag one of their tanks though! It was a Russian T-34!" Tojo reported
[South Bridge]
"The same for the south one! We took out a M4A3 Sherman that demolished the bridge!" Toshi reported
"Understood! Is it possible to cross the river from there without using a bridge?" Koume asked
"No can do! The river is at least 15 feet deep! We won't make it!" Toshi said
"Copy that! Keep looking for ways!"
"Jawohl!" Tojo and Toshi replied
"Kommandant! We got some good news and bad news!"
"Tell me!" Erika said
"Good news is we now have info on Crows Nest's tanks! T-34s and M4A3 Shermans!" Koume reported
"Bad news?"
"Both bridges in the north south have been destroyed by them! We have to find another way across!"
"Damn it! Gero's running out of time!"
"Kommandant!" Sango suddenly radioed
"Sango?! What do you have for me?!"
"I have located the White Tiger! They're at the second bridge on the opposite side of the island! They're covered in smoke but I'm sure it's them!" Sango reported
"What's the situation there?!"
"Very bad! They're not moving and the bridge is destroyed too! They're trapped inside the island along with the rest of Crows Nests tanks!"
"They're not moving?! What do you mean?! Are they hit?!" Erika got worried
"As far as I can observe they're not white flagged! But there are a lot of craters around their tank so maybe the crew got knocked out!"
"Wait a minute! If you can see Gero-senpai then we can provide fire support without the risk of hitting them!" Sakuraba radioed
"Right! Sango do you see a location where Crows Nest can possibly hide?!" Erika asked
"Yes! There's a cluster of trees 100 meters from Gero-san's position! It's big enough to hide at least 15 or more tanks!" Sango said
"That's where they are! Give me grid coordinates! With all the smoke there we can't get clear visuals from here!"
"Grid 7B-LR-7527-6314! Fire for effect!" Sango said
"All tanks aim for the said grid coordinates!" Erika ordered
(Immediately all tanks under Erika's command aimed their turrets at the same direction)
"FEUR FEUR!" Erika shouted
*BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG
(A barrage of shells from their tanks as well as the Sturmtiger's shell was fired towards the grid coordinates. Kenji and Sudou were still arguing while they heard the distant shots from the other side of the river)
"INCOMING! TAKE COVER!" Kenji shouted
*BOOM *BOOM *BOOM *BOOM
"Good effect on target! Keep hitting them!" Sango shouted
(The whole cluster of trees was being bombarded by Kuromorimine non stop and the tanks of Crows Nest scattered everywhere trying to dodge the shells. Meanwhile Gero was still recovering from again the rearing of his ears. While he was trying to focus a voice called out to him in his mind)
[Unknown Realm - Inside Gero's Thoughts]
"Hey.."
"Who's there?"
"Over here.."
(When Gero turned around he saw a black figure in front of him)
"Who the hell are you?! And what is this place?!"
"This place is called the Sacred Realm..and me? Oh you know who I am very well.." said the voice
"Cut the bullshit and tell me!"
"I'm the Nishizumi inside you partner.."
(When Gero blinked the black figure transformed into an image of himself but darker and had ominous aura around him)
"Inside me?"
"That's right..I'm the one you are trying so desperately to keep in a tight leash all this time.."
"What the hell is going on..I must've hit my head too hard in the match.."
"Call me what you want..but you can never deny the fact that I am living inside your very heart and you can never ever be free of me.." said the dark Gero
"And? Why have you come to talk to me right now in this way?"
"You seem to be in a pickle here in this match of yours partner..how about I lend a hand?"
"No thanks..I can handle this on my own without you.."
"Really? Even though you and your crew are in this pitiful state? How long can you keep this up? Sooner or later one of you is gonna die..if you let me help you..all of us here can live.."
"Why do you care so much?"
"If you die, I die..and honestly? You and I have a common goal.."
"And what is that common goal?"
"To catch those responsible for what happened to us twelve years ago.."
(Gero saw that the expression of the Nishizumi inside him got serious and wasn't telling a lie)
"This is the closest we've gotten to those that tried to kill us both in the past..I can't let this opportunity pass..I know you can't too.."
"Why should I trust you? For all I know the moment I let you take over you'd kill everyone that I cherish!"
"I wouldn't do that..I may be the darkness inside your heart but I wouldn't destroy the very reasons that made us who we are right now..you have my word.."
"Hmph..let's see how much your word is worth..but I agree..if we die right now then we won't ever achieve anything.."
"Then it's settled.." the dark Gero gave a smile
"So how do we complete the contract?"
"We shake hands..then i ask you questions..after you give me answers that are acceptable for me then you'll be able to use my unimaginable strengths with full control.."
"And if I give you an answer you don't accept?"
"Then I'll take control of your body until the possession is over.."
"How long is that?"
"Seven minutes give or take.." the dark Gero said with a funny voice
"Not much of an offer huh?"
"Meh it's all you get..for seven minutes you get to kick Crows Nest's ass big time in anyway you want.."
"I'll take it!"
(Gero then grabbed the dark Gero's hand for a handshake and gave him a smile)
"What's with the smile?" the dark Gero asked
"I just find it funny that we both still have the same sense of humor.."
"Of course we do.."
"Well then partner, ask away.."
"For what purpose are you using the strength of the Nishizumi blood running through your veins?"
"To protect those that I love.."
"And are you going to let those malicious people take away those you love once again?"
"Like hell I am.."
"Very well..I accept your answer and the contract is now complete.."
(Both Gero and the dark Gero now closed their eyes and they could feel an enormous amount of power flowing through them and both said)
"Nishizumi Style: Sacred Possession.."
[Inside the White Tiger]
(After the contract Gero regained consciousness again and quickly called out to his crew)
"Guys? Are you alright?"
"Yeah..my ears are still ringing but I'm good.." Ono said
"They stopped firing at us Matsu-kun.."
"Looks like Kommandant and the rest were able to provide fire support for us from across the river Taichou.." Hajime said
"Alright..then we better not waste the opportunity they gave us.."
"G-Gero..?" Ono said with a shocked expression
"What's up Ono?"
"Taichou..your eyes.." Hajime had the same expression
"They're glowing.." Ken reacted
(As of this moment Gero's eyes were not the usual black colored but was glowing golden yellow for some reason)
"It must be the effect of the Sacred Possession..I can feel so much strength..my mind is clear as day.." Gero said in his thoughts
"Are you feeling ok Gero?" Ono asked
"Yeah..better than ok! I feel like I won't lose to anything!"
"We feel the same Taichou! Give us your orders.." Hajime smiled
"First let us greet our guests.."
(Gero then got out of his cupola and had their radio on speaker mode for Crows Nest to hear)
"Good day to everyone! Can you all hear me?"
"What the hell? Open comms? He dares to mock me?!" Kenji was enraged
"Thank you for coming here..and where is 'here' you might ask?"
"W-What the hell is that..?" Sudou pointed in the smoke
"Ghosts of Crows Nest.."
(Gero gave a smile filled with confidence and his eyes glowing inside the smokescreen. And everyone in Crows Nest could see those glowing eyes and it struck fear into them)
"Jigoku e yōkoso.."
[Welcome to hell..]
Coming Up Next : Chapter 62 - Unbreakable
Author's Note:
Welcome to hell guys! The fight has now started and one of Gero's family skills was activated once again! Sacred Possession! There will be a proper explanation of this skill in the later chapters but for now enjoy how badass Gero will become even more! We also got a peak at the Nishizumi inside of Gero inside the Sacred Realm!
Looks like the answer to why they were hitting through the smoke so accurately is with the use of thermal optics! If the rules say you CAN'T use them then you CAN use them! We now know that Crows Nest has Shermans and T-34s! But what could've made those big craters? What kind of tank could make those craters? Let me know your reactions from this chapter in the reviews!
Shout out to : "simmael" thank you so much for the follow and favorite!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
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