The Rebel Corp and the Phantom Thieves were finally making their move. Marie's troops were scouring the city, all of them on high alert after everything that's happened so far. "Show your faces, Rebel Corp!"
"Lady Marie will have your heads!" The Legionnaires were calling for Erina's head.
Erina just happened to be nearby, hiding behind some barrels to keep her presence hidden. "This area is crawling with enemies. If I make a move too soon, I'd be spotted..."
"Erina, do you copy?" Oracle contacted Erina.
"Yes. I've just arrived at the starting position." Erina confirmed.
"We'll kick things off the moment I give the signal. Everyone is getting into position right now. First, let the enemy make visual contact, but keep your distance." Oracle explained. The plan was getting underway. "Follow the predetermined route and make sure to activate any traps along the way. Don't worry if the enemy gets too close, that's what you have backup for. If you can keep Marie's army at bay for the entire pursuit, the mission's guaranteed to succeed!"
"Roger that." Erina whispered. A majority of the plan did rest on her shoulders, but she felt like she could do this.
"Operation commence in three...two...one...GO!" Oracle's declaration was the beginning of their prison operation!
Erina sprang into action, revealing herself from cover. But she made it seem like she accidentally stumbled onto the scene. The moment she was revealed, the Legionnaires spotted her. "Hey, there she is!"
"Ahhh, they've found us...! What terrible luck!" Erina gasped, making her terrible acting debut. If not for the fact she had a target on her back, anyone else would've seen through this ploy. Even her movements were exaggerated. "Whatever shall we do nooooow?"
"It's the Rebel Corps! The Rebel Corps is here!" The large Legionnaire exclaimed, pointing at Erina. "Everyone, capture her now! Don't let her escape!"
"Nooooooooooo! This is the last thing we wanted to happen!" Erina feigned panic. "Whatever shall we do now!?"
"Her acting is even worse than Panther's..." Oracle didn't think that was possible, either.
"Hey! I heard that!" Panther commented.
"But luckily, it doesn't matter! Get out there, Erina!" Oracle exclaimed.
Erina nodded and started to retreat. "I can't let them catch meeeeee!" And she was still putting up this charade, even though it was wholly unnecessary. Maybe she was just getting into the act. Either way, the Legionnaires that spotted her were now after her. "Wow, they fell for it so easily! I must be pretty good at this decoy stuff."
"Don't let her escape!"
"Capture her, for Lady Marie!"
Erina had the Legionnaires hot on her trail, which is exactly what she wanted. She was running straight through a crowded area, making sure to catch anyone and everyone's attention as she did so. "What a mistake I've made! I can't believe I've wandered straight into enemy territory! How careless!"
Nearby, Sophie, Violet and Viper were in position, waiting for a chance to cover for Erina if she needed it. They were hiding away on a nearby roof, and Viper couldn't help but roll her eyes at Erina's acting. "Geez. She's getting way to into this..."
"At least this means she's taking it seriously." Violet said with a slight smile. Erina's acting could use a little work, but it was working. They were watching as Erina turned a corner. "Oh, she's getting close to one of the mentioned choke points. Are we ready?"
"Yeah." Viper nodded, gesturing to one of the explosive barrels they had nearby.
"Where did the Rebel Corps get those again?" Violet tilted her head.
"You were brainwashed when it happened." Sophie reported. "Erina, Mona, and Joker found these while doing some training. So we decided to take them."
"I guess they are in better use now..." Violet said with a slight laugh. But since they had many of these prepared, she made the first move. She had to time this perfectly, placing her foot on the edge of the barrel. Just as Erina was running past it, she kicked it down the roof.
Erina noticed this, glancing up with a grin. She turned back to her pursuers, smirking as she drew her gun. The barrel landed off to the side, and she shot at it. The instant the bullet collided against the barrel, it exploded violently. This knocked down multiple Legionnaires. Luckily for Erina, comradery was not high between them, so they kept rushing after her. In fact, they were even more insistent in their pursuit. "It's working!"
"They're even more intent on capturing Erina, now." Sophie reported.
"Their idea really worked!" Violet was happy to see their plan coming together.
"Of course it did. Dragon-chan was behind it all!" Viper flipped her hair. It was a group effort, but Viper was more than happy attributing most of the credit to Dragon.
"But..." Sophie wanted to speak, but she knew it was better than to argue with Viper.
"I think we need to help Erina some more." Violet said. The others nodded. Their diversion tactic would only fully work if they were involved.
"Yeah, yeah..." Viper then had a great idea. She cleared her throat, deepened her voice, and spoke. "Hey! The Rebel Corps is going that way!"
"Over there!"
"You heard him!"
Hook, line, and sinker. The Legionnaires, frantic in their pursuit of Erina, completely fell for Viper's ploy. This worked as Erina rounded a corner, keeping her feigned panic as she saw a group of enemies a few feet away from her. "Ah! They've found me so quickly...!" Erina faked gasp, spun around, and went down another predetermined route.
"Don't let her get away!"
Violet and Sophie watched as the Legionnaires pursued Erina. "Wow, it worked..." Violet was surprised, as the three of them moved to keep up.
"Manipluation and misdirection are some of my better, underhanded tactics." Viper said smugly. "Maybe I can teach you two something about it later."
"I've got it. I think I'd like to learn." Sophie said.
Violet shook her head to that. "Sophie...I think this is something we should pass up on..." She wasn't sure she wanted to learn lessons in dishonestly from the expert that was Viper.
Meanwhile, Marie's forces were getting riled up about Erina's presence. "Listen up! The Rebel Corp has been sighted within city limits! It's their leader!" A solider exclaimed to many others.
"What!?" A large soldier gasped.
"We'll drag her to Lady Marie's feet!" With this, the Legionnaires surrounding the prison entrance all started to rush towards the last known location of Erina. As soon as they left, Joker and the others came out of hiding.
"They fell for it!" Ichinose snickered. It felt pretty nice to execute a working plan.
"That's only step one." Toshiro said, gesturing for the others to get moving. "Now, we have to commence our operation as well!"
.
.
Within the detention facility, there were numerous Rebel Corps under stress from being worked tirelessly. The Legionnaire in charge was working them to the bone. "Get off your lazy butts! You're not done practicing for the wedding reception!"
"B-But my feet hurt so much!" A Rebel in green whined. "No more samba, at least for a bit, please!"
"No whining!" The Legionnaire shook his head spitefully. "And once we're done with samba, you're practicing your party tricks next! All who refuse will be subject to caning!"
The Rebels cried out in fear when hearing this. "Ahhh...!"
"J-Just hang in there a bit longer! We have to have faith in our comrades!" A rebel exclaimed, frightfully. They were only able to hang out this long because they had faith they would be saved!
When hearing this, the solider watching over them couldn't help but burst out into laughter. "Hahahaha, what idiots! Do you really think someone's coming to save-!" And at that moment...
"It would seem you underestimated the Rebel Corp." Toshiro's voice echoed throughout the detention facility, causing the soldier to look upwards, where the Phantom Thieves were standing.
"Sorry for crashin' yer practice!" Skull was crouched down, his pipe resting on his shoulder.
"We're here to free your prisoners!" Noir exclaimed.
"W-Who are you...?" The Rebels that were captured hadn't the faintest clue about the Phantom Thieves' involvement. Were they really here to rescue them?
"Friends of the Rebel Corp, fellow Marie hates." Joker spoke with a slight chuckle.
"We're here to aid you!" Dragon said.
"We're going to help you take this country back!" Toshiro told the imprisoned rebels.
"What insolence! How dare you!?" The soldier grimaced. People daring to stand up to Marie?! That wasn't something he could allow to happen! "All units, gather at my location! Intruders spotted!" On that cue, multiple soldiers appeared on the spot, splitting into the scene. However, they were taking defensive positions behind some barricades.
"What are they up to?" Panther questioned.
"Ah! I see...they are attempting to draw out this encounter by taking a defensive stance." Dragon surmised. "They intend to stall us until their reinforcements return."
"It'll be bad if the enemies come back." Oracle pointed out. Not that she didn't have faith in their decoy tactic, but time was still of the essence here.
"Unfortunately for them, I think they'll be waiting quite a while." Crow said with a slight scoff.
"Let's not keep our own forces waiting too long." Wolf had his great sword at the ready. "The sooner we wrap things up here, the sooner we can help them."
"Agreed." Queen nodded. "We made them a route that will take the most time possible, but we must hurry."
"I believe we can make good use of this." Fox drew his sword.
"Alright, guys! Let's take 'em out!" Joker declared. No amount of stall tactics were going to stop them
.
.
Back outside, Erina had been running for quite a while. Even with Viper, Violet and Sophie's support, she was starting to run out of steam, and she had quite a number of enemies on her tail as well. She was running out of path to follow, too. She was going to end up in a corner soon enough. "Huff, huff...just a bit further to go...!"
"She's starting to run out of time..." Violet bit the inside of her cheek nervously.
"Should we go assist her?' Sophie was prepared to leap into the fray, if they needed to buy a little more time.
"We can handle those numbers, but..." Viper wasn't so knee on diverting from the plan just yet. "I think Dragon-chan and the others will show up. We've been keeping them busy for a while now."
"But she's cornered now! I can't sit back..." Violet had her rapier at the ready. She felt like they were cutting it very close, but she also had faith in Joker and the others.
"I think we should believe in the others." Sophie said firmly. "If we have to buy a few more seconds, then fine. But right now, I think we're okay!"
Erina was cornered now. She was taking this chance to catch her breath, knowing that a fight was just around the corner. She was wondering where the others were, but she wasn't losing up for a number of reasons. "Looks like you finally caught up to me..."
"We've got you now, vermin!" A Legionnaire exclaimed.
"You're done for! Lady Marie's going to make sure you regret defying her!" Another soldier shouted. They were all smug with victory now that they cornered Marie's biggest thorn.
Erina wasn't so concerned about her position. Especially not after she heard some familiar sounds nearby. "I think we'll see who does the regretting soon enough."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" The soldiers snarled.
They all turned around, only to see the Phantom Thieves, and the rescued Rebel Corps members behind them. "Good timing, Erina!" Mona grinned. "Sorry if we kept you waiting!"
"Traffic was awful." Joker spoke with a small laugh. Seeing the panicked expressions on the Legionnaires faces brought him plenty of joy. It felt cathartic.
"Damn it! We fell into their trap!" The soldier's gulped. They realized Erina's wild goose chase was a ruse too late!
"All that torture you put us though? We're about to get some payback!" An impassioned Rebel declared loudly.
"Let's show them what for!" Another Rebel shouted. Now that they were free, the Rebels had a lot of energy to spare.
"Time to retreat!" The Legionnaires realized how outnumbered they were. They moved to turn and run with the only escape route they had. But after a few steps, Violet, Viper, and Sophie landed right in front of them. "Gah!?"
"Going somewhere?" Viper tilted her head, a malicious smile creeping onto her lips, as the three of them held their guns out.
"You're not escaping the punishment you deserve!" Violet said as Ella appeared behind her.
"This is suitable revenge." Sophie nodded.
Now the tides had turned. It was the Legionnaires that were were surrounded and cornered. "We're going to clean these streets - every last Legionnaire! Ready, rebels!?"
"We sure are! Let's get to work!" Joker shouted.
"All units: CHARGE!" Oracle gave the battle cry, and the Rebel Corps and Phantom Thieves all charged in at once. Although the Legionnaires did technically outnumber the Alliance in this instance, the numbers did not make that much of a difference. The quality of the Phantom Thieves and Erina, coupled with the justified rage of the Rebels, they were capable of making short work of these Legionnaires. It was an all out fight that the Rebels' momentum allowed them to crush in record time.
The final solider stared at the army in front of him in shock. To think, the Rebel Corp was capable of unleashing this much damage. "Ugh...impossible..." And then he collapsed.
Seeing the clear result of their place, Toshiro couldn't help but feel accomplished. "All right! Operation Pincer Attack was a success!"
"Wait." Dragon blinked. "Was that the name we agreed on? I thought it was Operation Prison Crush."
"We did not agree on that one." Queen pointed out. Dragon slumped over.
Erina was brimming with energy after such a massive fight. That was a win they solely needed. "That was incredible! I can't believe we managed to drive back an entire army like that!"
"With good coordination, you can accomplish most anything!" Dragon said proudly.
"No kidding, we crushed it out there." Wolf wasn't afraid to pat himself on the back for that as well.
"We should retreat as soon as we account for everyone's safety." Mona said. "Knowing Marie, the second she hears about this, she's going to come hunting for us herself."
"I do not want to deal with that right now." Panther shuddered. Marie was still a problem they did not have a solution for yet. And they weren't ready for a fight with her.
"Let's head back to the hideout then." Queen said.
"You heard the lady! Time to bounce!" Skull nodded. The Phantom Thieves and Rebel Corp made a hasty exit, returning back to the hideout with solid numbers behind them.
.
.
With a successful operation aiding their momentum, everyone returned to the hideout. "Now that we have the enemy in disarray, this is the best time to strike." Makoto wanted to push their momentum to victory, and it was very possible for them to do so. "Erina, I think we should!"
"Hang on!" Erina interjected suddenly. "Before anything else, I have a proposal I'd like to make to you all."
Erina's sudden idea did surprise everyone. Haru was the first one to speak. "What would that be?"
"I want Toshiro to take command of the alliance between the Rebel Corps and the Phantom Thieves." Erina said. This surprised everyone. Naturally, Toshiro was the most surprised.
"Y-You what!?" Toshiro's eyes were wide.
"Yeah." Erina nodded firmly. "Your resolve and the way you've helped plan things out is how I know it's a good idea."
"I think it's a bad idea. I don't wanna take orders from this guy." Mika was vehemently against it.
"You can ignore her input." Ann waved Mika's complaints aside, which made Mika furrow her brows in annoyance. Not enough for her to object, but just enough so it showed on her face.
"It's not like our roles are going to change much." Erina explained. "I'll still be the leader of the Rebel Corps, and Ren will still be the leader of the Phantom Thieves. But I'd like you to take the role of commanding our joint forces in battle. I know you're capable of it. What's your take on this, everyone?"
"I think it's a good idea." Ren said. "I know we rely on Hifumi and Makoto a lot for strategy, but the outsider perspective isn't bad to have either."
"Toshiro has shown apt tactical prowess. I had no complaints during planning." Hifumi added her piece. "I can fulfill any role needed of me, be it fighting or tactical ability."
"This isn't a bad idea." Zenkichi added. "We all have our strength and weaknesses. Toshiro's ideas aren't bad at all either. We're all still a group here, so if he's going to lead, we have to make sure we support him as much as we can. A leader is only as good as his team."
"And that's why we're so friggin' tough!" Ryuji said with a wide grin.
"I have no objections either." Ichinose nodded. Not like she was currently good for much aside from helping with planning, and the occasional rocket here and there.
With the exception of Mika, who was just silently brooding over this, everyone was on board. Erina then turned to the pensive Toshiro. "So, Toshiro, what do you say to a promotion?"
"Well, if you insist..." Toshiro was a little apprehensive about it, but everyone else appeared fine with this. "I certainly am more suited with brains than with brawn - not to brag, of course."
"I detect faint hints of bragging." Sophia added. But she was quickly shushed by Sumire.
"Then that settles it!" Erina beamed. "We're all counting on you, Toshiro!"
Toshiro felt the pressure on his shoulders. It was nerve wracking since the final battle with Marie was on the horizon, but he felt oddly relaxed as well. It was strange... "Y-Yes, likewise."
"Well, the Rebel Corp has increased in strength, and we have a new general to boot." Makoto liked their odds even more now. "All that's left is taking down their enemy leader! Let's show Marie what we're made of!"
The final battle with Marie was rapidly approaching. The Rebellion was reaching its final stages. All that was left, was to take back this Kingdom from the clutches of the Bride to be...